Corruption charges delay completion of Iraqi Cabinet
The political alliance that allowed Iraq to move forward in building a new government could be on the brink of collapse.
After months of delay in forming a government, Iraq recently was able to begin the process by creating a coalition between two parties. More recently, however, accusations of corruption have threatened to tear their affiliation apart.
Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, head of the Sadrist Movement and the Sairoon Alliance in Iraq, had teamed up with Hadi al-Amiri, leader of the Fatah Alliance. Their union gave them the upper hand in parliament and allowed them to select a prime minister, who has since filled most — but not all — Cabinet positions.
But on Nov. 19, Sadr wrote a letter to Amiri, accusing some Sunni leaders of the Fatah-affiliated Al-Binaa Alliance of accepting foreign support and subsequently spending huge amounts of money to buy ministry appointments.
The Sunni deputies representing the National Axis Coalition (Al-Mehwar Al-Watani) — affiliated with Al-Binaa Alliance — withdrew from parliament Nov. 21 in objection to Sadr’s accusations. The National Axis Coalition asked Sadr to provide evidence of his accusations.
