Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi must form an independent government within three days or face ‘hell’, warned Leader of Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr.
Allawi, who was named prime minister-designate by rival Iraqi factions after weeks of political deadlock, is supposed to present the government formation to the parliament before March 02 for voting, according to the constitution.
“If Sayyed Muqtada hears that Allawi has granted a ministry to any side, specifically the Shiite armed factions, Iraq will turn into hell for him and will topple him in just three days,” cautioned Sadr’s top aide Kazem al-Issawi.
Sadrist movement and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are political rivals, knowing that PMF includes a number of armed groups that defected from the Sadrist movement.
Meanwhile, protests continue in Baghdad and southern cities calling for early elections and fighting corruption, which prompted former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to resign.
Demonstrators believe that Allawi, the former communication minister under ex-premier Nouri al-Maliki, is part of the ruling elite and therefore unacceptable.
Issawi told journalists that the head of the Sadrist movement stressed that his movement will not be part of the future government in any way.
He warned against obstructing the formation of Allawi's government, noting that if pressure occurs and the government is not approved, the Sadrist movement will protest in the Green Zone where major government and diplomatic facilities are located.
The political adviser stressed that the Movement is not backing Allawi, but will not veto him either.
Allawi, 65, is often described as a quiet and patient man who is very religious. He belongs to Shiite aristocracy and his cousins were prime ministers, Iyad Hashem Allawi, and Ali Abdul Amir Allawi.
The prime minister-designate earned an engineering degree from the American University of Beirut in the 1980s and began his political career after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled the longtime regime of Saddam Hussein. He became a member of the parliament in 2006.
