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Jaafaris Dawa party chooses two candidates for Iraq PM
BAGHDAD - Embattled Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari is out of the running for the post of premier and his party has selected two other potential candidates, an MP from his Dawa party said on Friday. We had meetings between ourselves and the Moqtada Sadr group and have come up with two names, Jawad Al Maliki and Ali Al Adeeb, as candidates for the post of prime minister, said Hassan Al Senaed, a Shiite MP from Jaafaris Dawa party. The radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadrs bloc has 32 seats in parliament and has been a strong supporter of Jaafari.Our discussions continue with other groups in the Shiite alliance and also other parliamentary blocs about these two candidates, Senaed told AFP, adding that Jaafari was no longer a candidate. We want to check their response and by 4:00 pm (1200 GMT) today, we will present these names to the seven leaders of the Shiite parties that mainly make up the alliance for their consideration. If the candidates are approved, the names will be forwarded to the 130 members of the United Iraqi Alliance for a final opinion, he added. Senaed said that the party was pushing for a consensus decision on the new candidate rather than going for a vote. He further said that the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) will not present a candidate for the prime ministers post. It is our understanding with them that if Jaafari withdraws they will not present any candidate to replace him, Senaed said. In February when Jaafari was selected by the alliance as candidate for the premiers post, he had beaten SCIRIs Adel Abdel Mahdi by a single vote. On Thursday, Jaafari indicated that he was ready to drop his candidacy, offering the much-needed breakthrough to Iraqs political deadlock over forming a national unity government for which elections were held in December. Posted by: Steve 2006-04-21 |
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