Mid-day, there was speculation that a new prime minister-designate might be appointed in Iraq. A few hours later came the official announcement President Barham Salih had named Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi prime minister-designate.
Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi introduced as new Iraqi PM
http://bit.ly/3b4RQQv
Who? From WIKIPEDIA:
Mohammed Tawfik Allawi (Arabic: محمد توفيق علاوي) is an Iraqi politician who has been serving as the current Iraqi Prime Minister since February 2020.[1] He was the Minister of Communications in the Iraqi Government and was also Minister of Communications in the Al Maliki government from May 2006 until August 2007, and from 2010 to 2012. Both times he resigned from his position in protest against al-Maliki's sectarian agenda and political interference.
Al-Jazeera claims he is cousin of Ayad Allawi
Allawi studied Architectural Engineering at Baghdad University, when he left mid-way through his studies as he was wanted by the government of Saddam Hussein. He went into exile and moved to Lebanon, where he completed his education and obtained a degree in Architecture from the American University of Beirut. He then moved to the United Kingdom.
While in higher education he co-founded the Tawfiq Allawi Cable & Electric Wire Factory which manufactured various raw materials including marble, concrete and PVC. His factories were confiscated by the Iraqi government in 1997. Allawi went on to found a cereal bar factory and a software company in England and to work in property development in Lebanon, Morocco and the real estate market in the UK.[2]
Allawi joined Interfaith International, a Swiss based NGO that supported the human rights of Muslim minorities during the Yugoslav Wars.[2]
Allawi participated in the Salah Al-Din Conference of opposition parties in 1992 and the London Conference in 2002. He was elected to the Council of Representatives of Iraq in the Iraqi parliamentary election of January 2005.[2] He is the cousin of Ayad Allawi who founded the opposition Iraqi National Accord and went on to be the interim Prime Minister of Iraq from 2004 to 2005.
In May 2006 Allawi was appointed Minister of Communications in the Al Maliki government. After fifteen months he withdrew from the government, citing the Prime Minister's practice of making appointments on a sectarian basis.[3] He rejoined parliament and remained in opposition for the remainder of the government's term.[2] He returned as Minister of Communications in the newly formed government in 2010, but also resigning after citing the interference of prime ministerNouri al-Maliki in his ministry.
He has since remained as a public commentator on Iraqi political affairs, with a series of articles published in Iraqi media outlets and on his blog.
Allawi was twice minister of communications, from May 2006 until August 2007, and from 2010 to 2012. Both times he resigned from his position in protest against al-Maliki's sectarian agenda and political interference.[citation needed]
One of Allawi's key policies was rooting out corruption. As communications minister, he implemented a policy that imposed strict anti-bribery terms on every company contracting with the ministry. These terms included that if the company was discovered to have paid a bribe to anyone in the ministry, a fine worth 30% of the contract would be imposed on the contracting company and the company would be blacklisted (preventing it from contracting with any government entity for three years).[4]
Allawi was appointed prime minister of Iraq on 1 February 2020 in the context of the Iraqi protests of 2019–20, replacing Adil Abdul-Mahdi, who had remained as caretaker prime minister for two months after resigning in response to the protests.[1]
Leave it to Crapapedia to get it wrong. He has not been appointed prime minister.
Christen McCurdy (UPI) gets it right, "Protests broke out in the streets of Iraq Saturday after Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi was named Iraq's minister-designate. Allawi has a month to form a new government, which he will lead until early elections."
Will he form a new government?
The Iraqi Constitution gives a prime minister-designate one month to form a cabinet. That's all they have to do to move from designate to prime minister. But the Constitution has not been followed. Nouri al-Maliki was named designate two times and both times he failed to produce a full Cabinet. Hayder al-Abadi came next and he failed as well. Adel Abdul Mahdi, ahead of being named designate, insisted that the 30 day clause should be followed and a full cabinet formed. But, once named, he quickly changed his view.
Why does it matter?
Iraq's government is filled with various factions and sects. To preside over the government as prime minister, you need to demonstrate that you can lead and build consensus. If you can't form a Cabinet, you're not going to be able to accomplish anything.
And that's what we've seen over and over with every prime minister since the 2005 Constitution.
The test is in place to demonstrate that the person is capable of governing. When they get to bypass that measure, it's no surprise that Iraq ends up with a non-functioning government over and over and over.
We should also take a moment to note the CIA. That would be the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States. "Intelligence" is laying it on a little thick. Since the spring of 2006, they have advocated for Adel Abdul Mahdi. He is the one, they insisted repeatedly.
The one? The worst one. He didn't even serve a full term because he was such a disaster.
Let's drop back to the October 25, 2018 snapshot:
Iraq has named a prime minister. We word that carefully because we should not say "new." All hopes that this time would be different have slipped away.
Iraqi Prime Minister @AdilAbdAlMahdi swore in 14 ministers to his new government last night. All were male.
"None of the [14] appointments were known to have come from the online application portal opened by Abdul-Mahdi to bring new faces into government. His office received over 15,000 applications in the span of less than a week, earlier this month."
He did not nominate two women but Parliament refused to vote on those two.
Press Release: SRSG Ján Kubiš welcomes confirmation of #Iraq Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, urges early confirmation of the full Council of Ministers, and expresses concern at the lack of female representation among ministers
Were Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi to follow the Constitution and actually put together a full Cabinet, it might silence some of the criticism of him that's already building.
Search results
- @UNIraq & @JeanineHennis, shame on you for welcoming a convicted felon like Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as a PM. You too are apart of this criminal organisation, which is killing the #IraqiProtesters. #IraqProtests #IraqGovIsKillingUs @FoxNews @Doranimated @MPPregent
- Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi resigned as a Minister of Communication after a corruption scandal. & he was convicted and sentenced with 7 years in prison, which later on was suspended! @UNIraq, shame on you for welcoming such a criminal! #IraqProtests
- Allow me translate: Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi resigned as a Minister of Communication after a corruption scandal. & he was convicted and sentenced with 7 years in prison, which later on was suspended! @UNIraq, shame on you for welcoming such a criminal! #IraqProtests
Amy Held and Jane Arraf (NPR) report:
They [the protesters] have rejected Allawi's candidacy, saying anyone who previously held a Cabinet post is tainted. Allawi served as a Cabinet minister in two previous governments.
But Allawi comes to power with the essential support of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose political bloc is one of the biggest in parliament.
Sadr followers moved back into Tahrir Square on Saturday in an apparent push to limit anti-Allawi protests.
Allawi's nomination is opposed by another leading Shiite politician, former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Allawi resigned from Maliki's government in 2007 over what he called Maliki's sectarian policies. Maliki, a Shiite, is widely blamed for fueling sectarian strife between Iraq's Shia and Sunni populations while he was in power between 2006 and 2014. His opposition to Allawi, who is also Shiite, could complicate the prime minister's efforts to compile a Cabinet based on individual qualifications rather than their loyalties to parties — also a key demand of anti-government protesters.
In the popular unrest that has swept the country, demonstrators are calling for jobs, an end to corruption and what they see as Iran's meddling in Iraq's internal affairs.
Iraqi security forces and the Iran-backed militias affiliated with them have unleashed a brutal response, killing at least 600 protesters in the four months since demonstrations have unfolded.
Search results
- "We must protect you instead of suppressing you. The weapons of the state should be used against those who attack you." Iraq's new PM Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi tells protesters
Linah Alsaafin (ALJAZEERA) adds:
Moments after his appointment was announced, Allawi shared a pre-recorded video on his Twitter page, where he addressed the protesters directly.
"My power is derived from you," he began. "If it were not for your courage and sacrifices then there would have been no changes in the country."
"You protested for your homeland, and if I am not able to fulfill your demands that I am unworthy of this position," he added.
However, protesters in the capital reacted with dismay, saying that he represented the old ruling elite.
One protester, 25-year-old Yousef Abd, said there is "no doubt we reject Allawi in the position of prime minister".
"If the government insists on forcing him on us we will definitely escalate things," he told Al Jazeera via telephone from Tahrir Square.
Mohammed Aqeel, another protester agreed.
"The general feeling from most protest sites is that they view Allawi as being cut from the same cloth as the politicians in power," he told Al Jazeera. "He belongs to the same system we don't want."
According to Aqeel, large student demonstrations were expected to take place on Sunday against Allawi’s appointment, which he hoped would unite the protest movement in Tahrir.
Earlier on Saturday, skirmishes had taken place between Sadrist supporters and politically independent protesters, after the former took over the strategic Turkish restaurant building and drove out the other protesters from there.
Iraqi President @BarhamSalih announces that Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi will be interim Prime Minister. The priority needs to be fair elections so a leader that actually represents the people is chosen. IDP’s must be able to vote from current location for this to be legitimate.
Today marks a major defeat to the #Iraqi revolution: the government forcefully appoints former minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi to head the transitional government against the protesters’ demands and militia warlord Al-Sadr occupies downtown Baghdad, and attack protesters.
- Strong rejection across Baghdad and #Iraq southern cities of President Barham Salih’s appointment of Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as prime minister-designate. Video shows protesters in southern city of Nasiriya burning ties and blocking roads to decry appointment. #IraqProtests
- Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi is Iraq's designated PM following another Muqtada maneuvering of events. The streets are still angry and vow to continue their rejection of any nominee blessed by the ruling parties and militias.
- Protesters in Nasiriyah city, southern Iraq, voice their rejection of newly appointed PM Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi. video via Telegram #IraqProtests
- Statement out of Hobbobi Sq in #Iraq’s southern city of Nasiriyah where protesters have gathered for months. They say Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, who’s been appointed as prime minister, represents the political elite they want overhauled. #IraqProtests
- #Iraq #Iraqi protesters in #TahrirSquare, #Baghdad chanting against #MohammedTawfiqAllawi. #IranProtests #محمد_علاوي_مرفوض
- WSJ - Iraq Names New Prime Minister, Faces Protests - The move drew a backlash from protesters who see Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as little different from his predecessor https://www.wsj.com/articles/iraq-names-new-prime-minister-faces-protests-11580594767 … via @WSJ
- Thousands of Iraqi people tweet against (Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi) nomination as prime minister of Iraq. As Iraqis, we call on the international community not to recognize it, which is against the demands of the Iraqi people @UNIraq @UN @UNDPArabStates @EUAmbIraq @EU_Commission
- Demonstrators block Sadir Hospital road in #Najaf, due selected #Iraq's former communications minister #MohammedTawfiqAllawi as the country's new PM. #IraqiProtests
Al Nasiriyah refuse Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi. #IraqProtests pic.twitter.com/bLNn5nlbYW
Meanwhile in the United States, the race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination continues and War Hawk Joe Biden continues to stumble and fumble.
Joe Biden: “I’ve forgotten what the hell I was going to say”
Iowa votes (via caucus) on Monday and Joe's falling apart on the campaign trail.
- Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden thinks the Charlottesville incident was in 2019 ... it was *3 years ago* Biden falsely claims Trump said "there were very fine people on both sides" in reference to neo-Nazis/KKK members that attended Even CNN debunked Biden's lie (1/2)
As Joe continues to lose it, Bernie Sanders remains on the rise.
With less than 48 hours until the #IowaCaucus, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden both held rallies in Cedar Rapids.
3500 turned out for Bernie's rally v. 350 for Joe Biden.
Which campaign has the enthusiasm and energy to beat Trump?
#BernieBeatsTrump
- All the major candidates held events in Cedar Rapids today. @BernieSanders filled a stadium while the @ewarren , @JoeBiden and @PeteButtigieg focused on trying to fill school gyms or meeting rooms.
Bernie has enthusiasm and Joe has . . .
I don't know who needs to hear this, but Donald Trump and Joe Biden are essentially the same person.
He always disses the ppl he talks to that come to his rallies his old age is really bringing out his true colors #JoeBiden
@JoeBiden once again is poking a concerned citizen for asking him what he'll do about phasing out fossil fuels
Now I get that the climate Bullsh*t is exactly that, Bullsh*t
But Joe,stop poking, touching, °rading your voters you idiot
Bloomberg is getting the nomination
Why you being a bully @JoeBiden
Joe's fading. Bernie's rising.
- People want to know what @BernieSanders' final pitch before Iowa is. This. This is our pitch. And it isn't final. We're making it every day. #IAcaucus. Join us: http://berniesanders.com/volunteer
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