Allawi urges national meeting in Iraq over new government lineup

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi has called on winning political parties in Iraq to hold an urgent meeting to outline a plan for forming a national government as soon as possible.

Allawi said in a press release that “the current circumstances in Iraq and the region make it necessary to hold a dialogue (among winning political parties) in a bid to reach an agreement on a comprehensive government program that puts an end to existing crises and takes into account demands of peaceful demonstrators.”

Mass demonstrations against unemployment, corruption and poor services have been sweeping southern Iraqi provinces since last month, prompting Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to take a number of reform decisions in a bid to restore calm in these provinces.

Allawai further stressed the importance of overcoming hardships facing Iraq over the coming period away from reactions and foreign interference, acknowledging that the results of the last parliamentary elections did not meet aspirations of a wide range of the Iraqi people.

Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr’s Sairoon coalition won 54 parliamentary seats in the May 12 parliamentary polls, followed by an al-Hashd al-Shaabi-linked coalition (47 seats) and Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi’s Victory bloc (42 seats).

Al-Sadr’s coalition did not win the majority needed to form a government alone but will play a primary role in selecting the next prime minister.