MESOP TRUTH & PRICE IN “RETURN” : Iraq’s PUK Party Set to Support Al-Maliki Bid for Premier
2014-06-01 20:55 GMT ir-Press – Iran – A major party in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region is expected to support a third term in office for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Press TV reports.
This comes as political horse-trading is underway in Iraq following the country’s parliamentary elections.A Press TV correspondence in Arbil says the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) wants something in return– that is the Iraqi presidential post.
PUK is led by Jalal Talabani, the current leader and the incumbent president of Iraq.
This comes days after Iraq’s State of Law Coalition officially named incumbent Prime Minister al-Maliki as its only candidate for premiership.
The coalition says it is ready to negotiate with all political parties in Iraq over its choice for prime minister. The alliance won 92 seats in Iraq’s recent parliamentary elections.State of Law Coalition, however, fell short of an overall majority. This means that Maliki’s chances for a new term are high, but he requires approaching other groups in order to secure a broader majority coalition inside parliament.Al-Maliki needs the support of smaller parties such as those of Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and Kurdish regional Parties. The formation of the Iraqi government is anticipated to take months as the president and the speaker of parliament should be also selected.
Under a de facto agreement among communities in Iraq, the prime minister is a Shia Arab, the president a Kurd and the parliament speaker a Sunni Arab. The vote came amid a surge in violence that has reportedly left more than 3,500 people dead this year. Maliki has said Saudi Arabia and Qatar are responsible for the security crisis and growing terrorism in his country.