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WORLD NEWS Monday 2 deceMber 2019
With prime minister out, Iraq in constitutional 'black hole'

By SAMYA KULLAB and tion Units headed by Hadi in the southern city follow-
MURTADA FARAJ al-Amiri. ing the bloodshed.
Associated Press In the May 2018 election, Unlike elsewhere in Iraq, in
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's neither coalition won a Basra demonstrators have
parliament on Sunday for- commanding plurality that routinely targeted the
mally accepted the prime would have enabled it to country's economic inter-
minister's resignation, but name the premier alone. ests.
the path to replacing Adil To avoid political crisis, Sai- Demonstrators staged a
Abdul-Mahdi was clouded roon and Fatah forged a sit-in and cut roads to the
with legal questions that precarious union. West Qurna 1 oil field, op-
one lawmaker described Salih began making rounds erated by ExxonMobil. The
as a "black hole in the con- with different political blocs field, among the coun-
stitution," which does not to reach a consensus, one try's largest, produces over
clearly spell out the next lawmaker who requested 450,000 barrels of oil per
step. anonymity in line with regu- day. A senior oil ministry of-
Meanwhile, anti-govern- lations said. Two Iraqi offi- ficial said the protests have
ment demonstrations went cials also said that Iranian not yet affected crude pro- Protesters set fires during ongoing protests in Baghdad, Iraq,
on in the capital, and one Gen. Qassim Soleimani, the duction. Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019.
protester was shot dead. head of Iran's elite Quds Protesters continued to Associated Press
Demonstrators closed Force and the architect of block roads to the coun-
roads, including those lead- its regional security appa- try' main Gulf commodities the Iranian consulate, the structure. At least 400
ing to a major commodities ratus, arrived in Baghdad port in Umm Qasr. Port of- which was empty. people have been killed
port in southern Iraq. A spe- and met with key officials. ficials previously said trade It was the second time since Oct. 1, when thou-
cial judicial committee was "It is expected that not just activity had been cut by 50 the building had been set sands took to the streets in
formed to investigate dem- Soleimani but other usual percent as a result. ablaze in recent days, fol- mass protests in Baghdad
onstrator deaths. brokers of the prime min- Also Sunday, unknown at- lowing an earlier fire started and the predominantly Shi-
Parliament approved the ister candidate will be ac- tackers in Najaf torched by protesters who stormed ite south.q
resignation without a vote, tive from now on," said
according to four lawmak- one official who spoke
ers in attendance. Law- on condition of anonym-
makers acted on the legal ity because of regulations.
opinion of the federal su- "But for sure no candidate
preme court because ex- will go through without the
isting laws do not provide blessing of Najaf."
clear procedures. Najaf is the seat of Iraq's
"According to the federal Shiite religious authority.
court's interpretation, there The possibility of Sairoon
is no need to vote," law- and Fatah re-committing
maker Sarkwat Shamse- to an alliance over the se-
dine said during the ses- lection of the premiership
sion. Lawmaker Mohamed was "the strongest scenar-
al-Daraji made the refer- io," Shamsedine said.
ence to a black hole in the In Baghdad's historic Ra-
law. sheed Street, security forc-
Following the approval, es fired live ammunition
Parliament Speaker Mo- to prevent crowds from
hamed a-Halbousi asked breaching concrete bar-
President Barham Salih to riers near the Ahrar bridge
nominate a new prime that leads to parliament
minister. The constitution and other government
requires parliament's larg- buildings. One protester
est bloc to name a can- was killed and 10 wound-
didate for the premiership ed, according to security
within 15 days. Then the and medical officials who
prime minister-designate spoke on condition of ano-
has 30 days to form a gov- nymity.
ernment. The new investigative com-
Officials and experts mittee was formed to hear
warned of a potential po- cases from the city of Na-
litical crisis because the siriyah, which has seen the
question of which coalition most fatalities due to live
constitutes the largest bloc ammunition used by secu-
is unresolved. rity forces in recent days.
Abdul-Mahdi's nomination The committee issued an
as prime minister was the arrest warrant against Lt.
product of a provisional Gen. Jamil al-Shammari on
alliance between parlia- charges of issuing orders
ment's two main blocs — that lead to the killing of
Sairoon, led by cleric Mo- demonstrators, according
qtada al-Sadr, and Fatah, to Iraqi state TV.
which includes leaders Abdul-Mahdi recently with-
associated with the para- drew al-Shammari from
military Popular Mobiliza- overseeing security matters