Samarraie urges winning blocs to be “rational – responsible”

BAGHDAD /Iraqi News Iraqi parliament speaker, Iyad al-Samarraie, called on the blocs that won in the legislative elections in Iraq to purse a “rational and responsible” stance and show full commitment to the rules of democracy. “I appeal to the political blocs that won seats in the new parliament to be flexible and accelerate the formation of a new government,” he was quoted in a press released by his office as received by Iraqi News. Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) had announced the parliamentary election results on Friday (March 26) in which former prime minister Iyad Allawi’s al-Iraqiya bloc obtained 91 out of the parliament’s 325 seats, followed by incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Dawlat al-Qanoon (State of Law) with 89 seats, the Iraqi National Alliance (INA) with 70 seats and the Kurdistan Alliance with 43 seats. AmR (P) 1