TASNIM reports, "The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament, Mohammed Rikan Hadeed al-Halbousi, praised Iran’s role in the Arab country’s liberation from terrorist groups and said in the era of 'unfair' sanctions against Iran, the Iraqi nation will side with the Islamic Republic."
Iraq's new what?
Saturday, Iraqi MPs finally elected a Speaker of Parliament. Pakistan's THE NEWS reported, "Iraq´s parliament elected Sunni lawmaker Mohammed al-Halbousi as speaker on Saturday, marking an important step towards establishing a new government four months after an inconclusive national election." In addition to being part of Moqtada al-Sadr's bloc (the winner of the May 12th elections), he was backed both by the outgoing prime minister Hayder al-Abadi and by Hadi al-Ameri whose milita bloc came in second in the May 12th elections. al-Halbousi has been a member of Parliament since the 2014 elections. Following serving in Parliament, al-Halbousi became governor of Anbar Province.
Mohammed al-Halbousi is elected as parliament speaker by 169 votes. A young engineer whose entire political experience is 4 years. He was Anbar governor since 2017. With hos election, Parliament speakership is out of Muslim Brotherhood after a long time. (1)
Pakistan's THE NATION notes, "Halbusi ran against three other candidates, including Vice President Osama al-Nujaifi and former Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi." This was news -- at least the al-Obeidi part -- to THE WASHINGTON POST's Tamer el-Ghobashy.
Mohamed Al-Halbusi, the 37 year old Governor of Anbar has been elected speaker of parliament. This allows the much delayed process of forming Iraq’s new government to move forward (in theory). Halbusi beat out veteran politician/former def minister Khaled al-Obeidi.
Let's explore that for a moment -- in part because Tamer didn't. How is Khaled al-Obeidi the former Minister of Defense? I ask because the government's supposed to be dissolved but Hayder al-Abadi continues to meet with the Cabinet and al-Obeidi became Minister of Defense in October 18, 2014 as part of then incoming prime minister Hayder's Cabinet.
It's a four year term. But for Khaled, it was less than two years. Why was that?
He was stripped of his position just before he completed the second year of his term. The Parliament held a no confidence vote. He stood accused of corrpution. In what world do you receive a no confidence vote in August of 2016 and be stripped of your post only to be elected Speaker of Parliament two years later? You don't. Why in the world would Tamer be seeing the defeat as newsworthy when there was nothing surprising about it?
NIQASH's Mustafa Habib offers this analysis:
Who’s better for US side? Halbusi? or Khaled al-Obeidi who does not have a strong party depends on it, he would be weak if he became speaker of parliament as it has been dismissed from his office as Minister of Defense in August 2016 (6)
As for the other nominee? That's actually more newsworthy, al-Halbousi defeating Osama al-Nujaifi whom the media identified as the Vice President. He was that. However, before becoming one of Iraq's three vice presidents, Osama was the Speaker of Parliament.
If you're not getting that only one of the two was newsworthy, maybe this FACEBOOK post will help you out:
النجيفي يستقبل المبعوث الرئاسي الأميركي وسفير الولايات المتحدة الأميركية في العراق
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استقبل السيد أسامة عبد العزيز النجيفي رئيس تحالف القرار العراقي يوم الأثنين 17 أيلول 2018 السيد بريت ماكغورك المبعوث الرئاسي الأميركي والسيد دوغلاس سيليمان سفير الولايات المتحدة الأميركية في العراق .
تم في الاجتماع بحث ومناقشة آخر تطورات الوضع السياسي فيما يتعلق برئاسة مجلس النواب ورئاسة الجمهورية ورئاسة الوزراء ، والبرنامج الحكومي ، وسبل الوصول إلى تشكيل حكومة قادرة على مواجهة متطلبات البلد والنهوض به ..
أكد السيد النجيفي على ضرورة الاسراع في انتخاب رئيس الجمهورية وتكليف رئيس مجلس الوزراء وحسب التوقيتات الدستورية ، مشددا على الحرص على تحقيق التوافق الوطني ، وعدم السماح بكسر الارادات وصولا إلى تحقيق غايات لا تخدم الوطن والمواطنين
وأشار إلى أن العراق بحاجة إلى رئيس جمهورية يتمتع بالخبرة والكفاءة ويكون قادرا على الحفاظ على الدستور والسهر من أجل عدم التجاوز عليه . كما أن الضرورة تقتضي النجاح في اختيار رئيس مجلس وزراء معتدل ومقبول ينآى بالعراق عن الصراعات الدولية ، ويتمتع بقدرة اقامة أوسع العلاقات مع المجتمع الدولي بما يخدم مصلحة العراق .
من جانبهم عبر المبعوث الأميركي والسيد السفير عن تقديرهم لخبرة وكفاءة السيد النجيفي والحاجة إلى نصائحه وارشاداته لدعم المسيرة السياسية في العراق .
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استقبل السيد أسامة عبد العزيز النجيفي رئيس تحالف القرار العراقي يوم الأثنين 17 أيلول 2018 السيد بريت ماكغورك المبعوث الرئاسي الأميركي والسيد دوغلاس سيليمان سفير الولايات المتحدة الأميركية في العراق .
تم في الاجتماع بحث ومناقشة آخر تطورات الوضع السياسي فيما يتعلق برئاسة مجلس النواب ورئاسة الجمهورية ورئاسة الوزراء ، والبرنامج الحكومي ، وسبل الوصول إلى تشكيل حكومة قادرة على مواجهة متطلبات البلد والنهوض به ..
أكد السيد النجيفي على ضرورة الاسراع في انتخاب رئيس الجمهورية وتكليف رئيس مجلس الوزراء وحسب التوقيتات الدستورية ، مشددا على الحرص على تحقيق التوافق الوطني ، وعدم السماح بكسر الارادات وصولا إلى تحقيق غايات لا تخدم الوطن والمواطنين
وأشار إلى أن العراق بحاجة إلى رئيس جمهورية يتمتع بالخبرة والكفاءة ويكون قادرا على الحفاظ على الدستور والسهر من أجل عدم التجاوز عليه . كما أن الضرورة تقتضي النجاح في اختيار رئيس مجلس وزراء معتدل ومقبول ينآى بالعراق عن الصراعات الدولية ، ويتمتع بقدرة اقامة أوسع العلاقات مع المجتمع الدولي بما يخدم مصلحة العراق .
من جانبهم عبر المبعوث الأميركي والسيد السفير عن تقديرهم لخبرة وكفاءة السيد النجيفي والحاجة إلى نصائحه وارشاداته لدعم المسيرة السياسية في العراق .
That's Osama's post about meeting earlier today with US Special Envoy Brett McGurk. I seriously doubt that Brett met earlier today with Khaled al-Obeidi.
Back to the current Speaker, ALJAZEERA noted:
Mohammed al-Halbousi, a Sunni
politician and the former governor of Anbar province, won 169 votes in a
secret ballot conducted at Saturday's session of the 329-seat assembly,
according to reports.
Aged 37, he will be the youngest speaker of parliament in Iraq's history.
Some hailed the election of a Speaker of Parliament on Saturday as a huge step forward -- this despite the fact that it was supposed to have taken placer much earlier. Raya Jalabi and Ahmed Rasheed (REUTERS) noted,
"Parliament had been due to elect a speaker and two deputies during its
first meeting on Sept. 3, but failed to do so as lawmakers were unable
to determine which competing bloc had the most seats. The move is not
that big. Saturday was supposed to also have seen the Parliament elect two deputy speakers but that didn't happen. On Sunday Hassan Karim al-Kaabi (a Shi'ite) was elected first deputy and Bashir al-Haddad (a Kurd with Barzani's KDP) was elected second deputy. RUDAW notes that both the KDP and the PUK backed al-Haddad. QANTARA reports that Shi'ite cleric and movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr put forward Hassan Karim as the nominee for first deputy speaker. There's still no president and still no prime
minister-designate. Elections were four months ago.
Today, Mohammed Sabah (AL MADA) reports that the Parliament is now saying that they can name a president without also naming the largest bloc (naming the largest bloc would require naming the prime minister-designate).
They have a Speaker of Parliament but not much else.
Ruth's updated this morning:
