.More Iraq parliament members pull out of Sunni bloc
Reporting from Baghdad -- Iraq's parliament convened today for the first time since the holidays and picked up where it left off: fighting over the resignation of its volatile speaker, Mahmoud Mashadani.
The latest disagreement over who should replace Mashadani prompted four more lawmakers to pull out of the main Sunni bloc, Tawafiq, deepening the divide among the already splintered Sunni groups. The defection came just a couple of weeks after five Sunni members from Mashadani's party, the National Dialogue Council, withdrew.
"Tawafiq is controlled by the Iraqi Islamic Party -- all the positions, everything," said Khalaf Alayan, a member of the National Dialogue Council. "Every other entity within Tawafiq is marginalized. We consider it as a dissolved front."
Sunnis widely boycotted the elections that chose the current parliament and thus are already underrepresented. The Sunni lawmakers have been unable to unify and continue to break into factions, underscoring the tenuous political landscape in Iraq. Without a unified bloc, and with rapidly decreasing numbers, Tawafiq could face even more difficulty wielding influence.
Parliament members had negotiated a deal requiring the new speaker to come from Tawafiq, but several Sunni Arabs said the process needs to be more open. Today, Tawafiq proposed Iyad Samarrai, a member of the Iraqi Islamic Party, as speaker, but that choice only bolstered criticism among the other Sunni lawmakers.
Taha Luhaibi, a member of the Independent Democratic Gathering, which withdrew from Tawafiq over the weekend, said Sunni lawmakers met late into the night to discuss an alternative that would allow each Sunni party to submit their own candidate.
Tawafiq officials defended their choice of Samarrai and said they remained a strong, viable coalition.
Unlike Mashadani, Samarrai is known for his calm demeanor during crises and consistently uses reason when negotiating with others, said Nourideen Hyali of the Iraqi Islamic Party.
"No matter the pressures that are forced against Tawafiq, we will back Samarrai," Hyali said.
Hyali dismissed suggestions that Tawafiq's influence may be shrinking as members continue to withdraw. In 2006, Tawafiq included 44 lawmakers from three Sunni groups. After today's defections, its numbers dropped to 32, Hyali said, though Luhaibi put the numbers as low as 27. There are 275 seats in parliament.
"It's just a natural phenomenon in parliament. . . . We think we will move positively forward," Hyali said.
LAT
The latest disagreement over who should replace Mashadani prompted four more lawmakers to pull out of the main Sunni bloc, Tawafiq, deepening the divide among the already splintered Sunni groups. The defection came just a couple of weeks after five Sunni members from Mashadani's party, the National Dialogue Council, withdrew.
"Tawafiq is controlled by the Iraqi Islamic Party -- all the positions, everything," said Khalaf Alayan, a member of the National Dialogue Council. "Every other entity within Tawafiq is marginalized. We consider it as a dissolved front."
Sunnis widely boycotted the elections that chose the current parliament and thus are already underrepresented. The Sunni lawmakers have been unable to unify and continue to break into factions, underscoring the tenuous political landscape in Iraq. Without a unified bloc, and with rapidly decreasing numbers, Tawafiq could face even more difficulty wielding influence.
Parliament members had negotiated a deal requiring the new speaker to come from Tawafiq, but several Sunni Arabs said the process needs to be more open. Today, Tawafiq proposed Iyad Samarrai, a member of the Iraqi Islamic Party, as speaker, but that choice only bolstered criticism among the other Sunni lawmakers.
Taha Luhaibi, a member of the Independent Democratic Gathering, which withdrew from Tawafiq over the weekend, said Sunni lawmakers met late into the night to discuss an alternative that would allow each Sunni party to submit their own candidate.
Tawafiq officials defended their choice of Samarrai and said they remained a strong, viable coalition.
Unlike Mashadani, Samarrai is known for his calm demeanor during crises and consistently uses reason when negotiating with others, said Nourideen Hyali of the Iraqi Islamic Party.
"No matter the pressures that are forced against Tawafiq, we will back Samarrai," Hyali said.
Hyali dismissed suggestions that Tawafiq's influence may be shrinking as members continue to withdraw. In 2006, Tawafiq included 44 lawmakers from three Sunni groups. After today's defections, its numbers dropped to 32, Hyali said, though Luhaibi put the numbers as low as 27. There are 275 seats in parliament.
"It's just a natural phenomenon in parliament. . . . We think we will move positively forward," Hyali said.
LAT
posted by madtom at 11:38 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home