Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi vowed on Saturday to achieve a political majority during upcoming parliamentary elections on May 12, which pit him against his Dawa Party rival former PM Nouri al-Maliki.
He expressed his support for “unity and political consensus that fosters Iraqi interests and its citizens, not consensus that fosters personal interests."
He made his remarks during a speech on the occasion of Martyrs Day and delivered at the office of National Iraqi Alliance chief Ammar al-Hakim.
“We must agree on achieving political consensus, which is in the interest of the country. We support the political majority of a strong state that meets the aspirations of citizens, not the majority that monopolizes privileges,” he went on to say.
“Iraq today is at the forefront in the fight against terrorism on the international arena ... The heroes of Iraq have come together to confront terrorism and achieve victory,” Abadi stressed.
This fight witnessed the united efforts of the army, police, Peshmerga and popular resistance, he continued.
In addition, Abadi pledged to return those displaced to their hometowns “without causing any demographic change,” saying that it is among the government’s duties.
He stressed “the need to remove all traces of terrorism in our provinces,” and called for “more cooperation between our people and political blocs.”
On the other hand, Maliki said that “the political majority project adopted by the Rule of Law coalition will be a national project involving all the spectrums of the people.”
He called in a statement for participation in “correcting the political system and saving it from those seeking their own interests.”
Head of the Iraqi Center for Media Development Adnan al-Sarraj, who is close to Abadi, pointed out that the latter’s concept for achieving a political majority is different to what others are proposing.
He said that the upcoming elections will not produce a larger bloc in which a political majority could emerge, but a majority closer to a sectarian bloc.
“The concept of a political majority has been on the table for years, but it has not achieved what Iraq needs, and parties that represent it have not reached a formula through which the problems facing the country can be solved,” Sarraj explained to Asharq Al-Awsat.
