Iraqi deadline passes with no decision on prime minister
Iraqi political parties have failed in selecting a new prime minister, amid the rising tension between the United States and the Iran-backed Shiite militias.
Political parties in Iraq continue to fail in finding a new prime minister and forming a transitional government that would lead the country to early elections and a new political order. This has created a power vacuum exploited by the militias to recover from the killing of their leaders — Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, one of the leaders of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) — reorganizing themselves and forming new militias.
The deadline for designating a prime minister ended today, March 16, and yet there is no agreement about any candidate among the political parties.
Following the trip of Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani to Baghdad on March 7, a seven-member committee was formed representing all Shiite forces to discuss the position of prime minister and come up with a new name that all agree on.
On March 15, leaked committee reports indicated that the committee had agreed finally on the head of the presidential office — Naim al-Suhail — and that they would suggest him to the president, who would, in turn, designate him officially.
