The Common Ills: Iraq snapshot

Friday, May 25, 2018

Iraq snapshot

Friday, May 25, 2018.

Iraq held elections this month and somehave tut-tut-ed the low turnout. They don't seem to appreciate the level of corruption in Iraq.

Maybe they will now?

As former prime minister and forever thug Nouri al-Maliki works to yet again steal an election, he makes a variety of efforts.

Like this week . . .

‏ @KurdDailynews

KDP Delegation Meets with Maliki in Baghdad

ERBIL — While in Baghdad, a high-level delegation from the #Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) met on Tuesday with Nouri al-Maliki, the ...

KURDDAILY

1 like

KurdDaily‏ @KurdDailynews May 23

Maliki's Coalition: No Objection to Choosing KDP's Hoshiyar Zebary For Presidency ERBIL – The State of Law Coalition, led by Nouri al-Maliki said on Wednesday that they have no objection to choosing Hoshiyar... KURDDAILY

Nouri says Hoshyar Zabari can be president of Iraq.

This is the same Hoshyar who left his post in 2016.

Well . . . was 'requested' to leave.

Expelled for corruption.

Nouri says that one of the few people actually punished in any way or form for corruption in Iraq is a good choice for president.

And we're not talking corruption in the distant past.

From the September 21, 2016 snapshot:

Now for the big news out of Iraq.

Remember all the time we spent this month explaining Hoshyar Zebari was in trouble. He was accused of corruption. He was denying it. We must have spent five days on this at least.

And we did that via Arab media because western media didn't give a damn.

In fact, only THE FINANCIAL TIMES OF LONDON filed a story on this topic and they did so after they thought it was safe and Hoshyar had survived.

He didn't survive.

A Parliamentary vote did not take place because they didn't have enough MPs present to meet a quorum.

Now what they couldn't or wouldn't tell you is known: Hoshyar's out.

AL ARABIYA reports Hoshyar Zebari has been "sacked." REUTERS adds it was a majority vote.

Twitter reaction?

Ikram Balekanî - NEW ‏@ikramBalekaniK 2 hours ago

Flash Parlementoya Iraqê ji ber gendeliyê Huşiyar Zêbarî yê PDKyî ji wezîfê girt. Zêbarî bi milyaran pere dizîbû.

10 retweets5 likes

So bad that he was voted out of his post.

Less than two years ago, voted out for corruption.

And Nouri is saying this person can be president of Iraq?

Are you getting how depressing that is for the Iraqi people?

They already see their country torn apart daily by war, bombs on the ground by terrorists, bombs from the skies by the US government (whose reign of terror has now hit the 15 year mark). And you want them to turn out to vote in a sham election when the politicians rip off the republic of Iraq and the Iraqi people?

There's a reason for the low turnout just as there's a reason for the only leader to fight corruption -- Moqtada al-Sadr -- saw his bloc win the most seats in Parliament.

It's as though no one in the media outside of Iraq gets the reality of daily life in Iraq.

‏ @fresh_sadegh

Translation/ An unprecedented event: meeting between ex-PM Nouri al-Maliki, PMU’s head Hadi al-Ameri , #Kurdistan’s Democratic Party (PDK, #Barzani) & Patriotic Union (PUK, Talabani) for formation of coalitional government. #Iraq

احسان سلطانی @ehsan_soltani

یک اتفاق غیرمنتظره و غافلگیرکننده:
نشست نوری مالکی، هادی عامری، حزب دموکرات کردستان عراق و اتحادیه میهنی برای تشکیل دولت ائتلافی https://twitter.com/Rudawkurdish/status/999686062254575617 …

3 retweets4 likes

Were Nouri an American politician, the above would launch a hundred and one analysis and speculations. Is Nouri, as he did in 2010, attempting to circumvent the process (the process outlined in the Constitution)? It certainly harkens back to those days.

Yet the only one aware of that appears to be THE BAGHDAD POST:

After the failure of his State of Law Coalition in the May 12 parliamentary election, former PM Nouri al-Maliki, still adopts an Iranian plot to spoil the political scene in Iraq. The results of the last elections proved that Iraqis kicked Maliki and that hundreds of millions of dollars spent could not make progress for his suspected coalition.

Maliki, who won only 26 seats in the 2018 election (64 seats less than what his coalition won in the 2014 elections), tries to keep the corrupt Dawa party alive under Iranian auspices.

Recently, media reports said that Maliki was engaged in intensive talks with Haider Abadi, leader of the Victory Alliance, to form the next parliamentary bloc in parliament.

But sources confirmed the former PM was working to break up Abadi's alliance. Recently, three MPs from the victory alliance have quit Abadi. Another 10 MPs are planning to take the same step.

Analysts say Maliki has only one option: either to integrate with Abadi or break up his coalition for the interest of his own coalition or IMIS-linked Al Fatih Alliance, which is supported by Tehran.

Nouri's action created the growth of ISIS in Iraq. Now he wants to be prime minister yet again. He's yet again disrupting the actual process. Where is the western media?

Oh, that's silly. The western media doesn't care about protecting the Iraqi people. They'd cover Iraq if they did. Iraq's a media liability. Covering it reminds people of how badly the lies of war destroyed Iraq and that tamps down on enthusiasm for future wars. The western press is all about selling the future wars.

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