Sectarianism behind my withdrawal from speakership nomination – MP

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A lawmaker from the Iraqi National List (INL) on Saturday cited the “sectarian quota system” on which he said the Iraqi parliament is based as the reason behind his decision to withdraw his nomination for the Parliament’s speakership. “I withdrew my nomination on Friday (Feb. 6),” Osama al-Nujaifi told IraqiNews.com news agency. “There are Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish blocs in the Parliament, and the national movement is the weakest,” he said. “Running a House like this is a difficult task that requires the speaker to make concessions,” he added. He pointed out that he would not vote for any of the other candidates. MH (P) / SS 1