Speaker candidate brandishes withdrawal

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Maysoon al-Damluji, a lawmaker from the Iraqi National List (INL), on Sunday threatened withdrawing its candidacy for the post of parliament speaker if the house kept pursuing “the partisan quota” system to select a speaker. “When I nominated myself, it was on the grounds of political reforms. However, from what I saw today (Jan. 18) during the parliamentary bloc leaders’ meeting, I can say the quota system was strongly stressed without regard to political reforms,” Damluji said in a press conference in Baghdad on Sunday. “The parliament is currently going through a critical period. If matters went on this way, none of the candidates can garner an absolute majority of votes,” she said, adding the solution is to endorse candidates on the grounds of election platforms, not the partisan quota system. Earlier on Sunday, the parliament speakership formed a committee of the parliamentary bloc leaders or their representatives to set a timeframe for selecting a speaker to succeed Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who offered his resignation after a squabble he had with members from security & defense and legal committees. AmR (P) 1