BAGHDAD, 30 March 2005 — Two months after historic elections, Iraq’s newly elected lawmakers failed yesterday to choose even a new Parliament speaker, let alone form a government. But US President George W. Bush remained optimistic.
The Parliament erupted in acrimony at only its second sitting yesterday and journalists were thrown out after lawmakers berated leaders for failing to agree on the choice of a speaker.
Within minutes of opening, acting Speaker Sheikh Dhari Al-Fayad stunned the audience of political veterans, asking the 275-member assembly to adjourn because of the quarrel over the choice of his successor, a largely symbolic post.
“The principal lists are asking to delay the vote for another time so the Sunnis can finish talks among themselves to choose a nominee,” he said.
A raucous atmosphere ensued as the MPs started ranting over the impasse. “The Iraqi people who defied the security threats and voted — what shall we tell them? What is the reason for this delay?” Hussein Sadr, a politician in the bloc led by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, asked the assembly before the news blackout.
As the meeting grew heated, the interim speaker ordered journalists to leave and Iraqi television abruptly switched to Arabic music. Allawi walked out of the session shortly afterward.
“You can say we are in a crisis,” Barham Salih, a leading Kurdish politician, told reporters.
The short session — mostly held behind closed doors after a nearly three-hour delay — adjourned until this weekend. Sadr said the parliament speaker would likely be chosen Sunday, giving Sunni Arab lawmakers time to come up with a candidate.
“We saw that things were confused today, so we gave them a last chance,” Sadr said. “We expect the Sunni Arab brothers to nominate their candidate. Otherwise, we will vote on a candidate on Sunday.”
Shiite, Kurdish and Sunni representatives had been trying to come up with a name for the Sunni Arab candidate that legislators promised would be announced during yesterday’s session. The session’s start was delayed nearly three hours amid intense negotiations.
Sunni Arab lawmaker Meshaan Al-Jubouri called for a decision, saying: “There are voices calling for electing the speaker today. This cannot be.”
“This is ridiculous,” he said as he left the meeting hall.
Earlier, President Ghazi Al-Yawer, a Sunni Arab, insisted on turning down the speaker post, despite pressure to take the job.
“We have apologized for practical reasons,” said Yawer, who is seeking one of the country’s two vice presidential spots. “With the small number of Sunni Arabs in the assembly, this post won’t put us in a position to strike a balance.”
The Shiite-led United Iraqi Alliance and the Kurdish coalition, which placed first and second in the landmark Jan. 30 elections, have reached out to the Sunnis and to members of Allawi’s coalition, hoping to cobble together an inclusive national unity government.
President Bush predicted yesterday that Iraq’s Parliament will choose a new government soon. In a speech in the White House Rose Garden, Bush spoke optimistically about the future of Iraq and said it would serve as an example of freedom in “a long-troubled part of the world.”
— Additional input from agencies
