National parliamentary elections will be held on Jan. 30, Iraqi officials announced on Monday, sliding the date into next year in a move that could complicate the US timetable for drawing down its forces.
The new parliament will choose a prime minister and Cabinet, a process that could take months. A long and turbulent delay in setting up a new government could force US President Barack Obama to revise his goal of removing most US troops from Iraq by the end of August next year.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will be hoping to build on his success in last January’s provincial balloting to form a strong government capable of dealing with the security and economic challenges facing this country as the US role fades.
But a recent spate of deadly bombings in Baghdad has tarnished his image and the threat of more violence could rise as US forces redeploy outside of urban areas by June 30 as scheduled.
The election for the 275-member parliament had been expected in December, four years after the current assembly was chosen.
Deputy Iraqi parliament speaker Khalid al-Attiyah said the Federal Court ruled that the current mandate lasts until March next year and selected a date 45 days before the expiration.
Some Iraqi politicians had suggested delaying the election for up to a year, giving the prime minister’s Shiite and Sunni rivals more time to prepare. Al-Maliki opposed a lengthy delay.
Timing of the election is critical to Obama’s plan to end the US’ combat role in Iraq next year and withdraw most of the 135,000 US troops by September next year.
Iraq’s political parties are deeply fragmented. An inconclusive election outcome, with no party winning a commanding number of seats, could lead to protracted negotiations where the makeup of the new government remains unclear.
In other developments on Monday, Iraqi television aired partial footage of the interrogation of a man it says is Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, leader of the al-Qaeda front group, the Islamic State of Iraq. The government says it arrested al-Baghdadi on April 23.
A speaker who identified himself as al-Baghdadi denied the arrest in an audio message posted last week on a militant Web site.
Past Iraqi claims to have captured or killed al-Baghdadi turned out to be wrong.
Meanwhile, Iraqi government security forces arrested two prominent Sunni leaders in Diyala Province on Monday, according to local security officials, leading to renewed concerns that sectarian tensions in the area could once again erupt into greater violence.
One of those arrested, Sheik Riyadh al-Mujami, is a prominent figure in the local Awakening Council. The other, Abdul Jabbar al-Khazraji, is the head of the leading Sunni bloc of politicians on the Diyala Provincial Council.
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
RSS