“No time limit to select National Alliance’s candidate for PM’s post,” says spokesman

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com – Member of Iraq’s National Alliane, Hamid Mu’alla, has said on Wednesday that his alliance had not defined a time limit to select its candidate for the new prime minister‘s post, expecting it to take place after the current Muslims Eid al-Fitr Holidays, starting on Thursday and ending next Monday. “We are expecting the National Alliance to name its candidate for the prime minister‘s post after the end of Eid al-Fitr Holidays, when the political forces shall witness a more active movement than the one taking place now,” he said, adding that “there is no time limit to select the Alliance’s candidate.” A source close to the National Alliance, stated earlier that the Alliance did not reach, in its meeting on Tuesday night, for a decisive and final decision for the issue of selecting its candidate for the prime minister‘s post. Meanwhile, Mu’alla said the percentage that matches the selection of the Alliance’s candidate of 65 percent of the new parliament seats “had not been ratified, because the National Alliance did not define that until now.” The National Alliance is a parliamentary bloc that comprises the State of Law bloc, led by Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, which holds 89 seats and the Iraqi National Alliance, led by Ammar al-Hakim, holding 70 seats in the new 325-seat parliament. SKH (S)/SR 1