Major Sunni and Kurdish political parties in Iraq will this month lead fresh efforts to end the country’s prolonged political impasse over forming a new government, legislators said on Tuesday.
The country has been in political stalemate since the national election in last October, the fifth parliamentary vote for a full-term government since the US-led invasion in 2003 that toppled Saddam Hussein.
The main quarrel is among the two largest Shiite groups over who will form the government and how to divide critical posts, including ministerial positions.
The process ground to a halt when a political group endorsed by Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr resigned from Parliament, seeking to dissolve the legislative body and hold snap elections.
But the rival Co-ordination Framework, an umbrella group dominated by pro-Tehran factions, wants a government in place before any new vote can be held. Complicating matters, some within the framework are opposed to a new vote, including former prime minister Nouri Al Maliki, Mr Al Sadr's arch rival.
This week, the impasse entered a new phase with the majority of political parties calling on the reconvening of Parliament before a new election can be held — an act that could end the deadlock or reignite violent Sadrist protests.
Mr Al Sadr’s Sunni and Kurdish allies — the Sovereignty Alliance headed by Mohammad Al Halbousi, the Speaker of Parliament, and Masoud Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party — on Sunday agreed with the Co-ordination Framework that politicians must return to a constitutional process of forming government, despite calls from Mr Al Sadr to quit Parliament.
In a joint statement, Mr Al Halbousi and Mr Barzani reaffirmed their support for early elections and their rejection of dissolving Parliament. Each party made significant gains in the 2021 vote.
“Both sides stressed the necessity of holding early elections after preparing the legal requirements according to the constitution preceded by the formation of the government,” said the statement.
They say it is important to keep the current Parliament intact until early elections, a position Mr Al Sadr and Mr Al Maliki consider unpalatable.
But on Monday, the framework welcomed their stance, saying it would "continue dialogue with all the parties ... to form a government endowed with full powers".
In a separate statement, it claimed to have reached "understandings with the national forces", saying it would keep its candidate for the post of prime minister — Mohammed Shia Al Sudani — despite Mr Al Sadr’s objection.
Large-scale Sadrist demonstrations erupted when the framework nominated Mr Al Sudani, a former minister close to Mr Al Maliki.
Karim Abu Souda. a politician affiliated to the Sovereignty Alliance, said his group's latest stance did not entail siding with the Co-ordination Framework against Mr Al Sadr.
He said a senior delegation would visit Mr Al Sadr after the Arbaeen pilgrimage to discuss the government formation process, without giving more details.
The religious event marks the end of the 40 days of mourning after the anniversary of the killing of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein at the battle of Karbala in 680AD. The grieving period ends on Saturday.
“It’s impossible to form a government without political consensus and political understandings are essential to solve the current crisis,” Mr Abu Souda said.
Another Sunni politician, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mr Al Halbousi, the President of Kurdistan Region, Nechervan Barzani, and senior Co-ordination Framework leader, Hadi Al Amiri, would be among those attending the meeting.
Mr Al Sadr wants not only to dissolve Parliament, but also to keep the current Prime Minster Mustafa Al Kadhimi and President Barham Salih in office to oversee the early elections, he said.
“But the Co-ordination Framework doesn’t want Al Kadhimi any more,” he said.
Mr Al Sadr said “the delegation could push for another nominee for the prime minister post who’s accepted by Al Sadr as a comprise”.
Green Zone violence
Iraq's latest crisis culminated at the end of August with Mr Al Sadr's supporters clashing with the army and the Iran-backed factions after weeks of protest around Parliament in the Green Zone of Baghdad.
More than 30 of the cleric's supporters were killed and hundreds wounded in nearly 24 hours of violence that ended when he called on his supporters to pull out, demanding an end even to peaceful protests.
Under Iraq's constitution, Parliament can only be dissolved by an absolute majority vote in the house, after a request by one-third of deputies, or by the prime minister with the approval of the president.
This month, Iraq’s Supreme Federal Court dismissed a lawsuit to dissolve Parliament filed separately by the Sadrists and the independent Waie Movement.
It said it had no power to do so and that politicians have to consider the mechanism mentioned in the constitution.
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Asia Cup Qualifier
Final
UAE v Hong Kong
TV:
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Read more about the coronavirus
The five pillars of Islam
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Al Jazira's foreign quartet for 2017/18
Romarinho, Brazil
Lassana Diarra, France
Sardor Rashidov, Uzbekistan
Mbark Boussoufa, Morocco
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Dir: Ron Howard
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson
3/5
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Match info
Huddersfield Town 0
Chelsea 3
Kante (34'), Jorginho (45' pen), Pedro (80')
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Croatia v Hungary, Thursday, 10.45pm, UAE
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
2019 Asian Cup final
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Final results:
Open men
Australia 94 (4) beat New Zealand 48 (0)
Plate men
England 85 (3) beat India 81 (1)
Open women
Australia 121 (4) beat South Africa 52 (0)
Under 22 men
Australia 68 (2) beat New Zealand 66 (2)
Under 22 women
Australia 92 (3) beat New Zealand 54 (1)
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Sweet%20Tooth
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HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
