Amid unanimous support from partners and adversaries, Iraq’s Prime Minister-designate Adel Abdul Mahdi began the first steps to form his government.
The United Nations congratulated the Iraqi new president and welcomed the designation of Abdul-Mahdi as prime minister to initiate the formation of the next government.
In a statement, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres congratulated Barham Salih after his swearing-in on Tuesday, saying that he was looking forward to “working closely” with him, “on all issues of mutual concern, in accordance with the mandate of the United Nations in Iraq.”
For his part, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Jan Kubis said: “Iraq needs a stable, national government that brings Iraqis together and restores hope in their country as they move forward in the post-Daesh [ISIS] period.”
“This government should be formed well within the constitutional timeline, should be professional, competent, truly representative and inclusive of women in Cabinet posts,” he added.
Kubis went on to say: “As the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the United Nations family in Iraq congratulate Mr. Abdul-Mahdi on his appointment, we recognize the enormous challenges he faces, and we stand side by side with him as he leads the country in its steady march towards a future of stability, economic growth, and prosperity.”
Salih received on Thursday the outgoing Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi and the prime minister-designate, saying on Twitter that the meeting was held under one slogan: “The peaceful transfer of power and the unity of all to serve the Iraqis.”
Meanwhile, in a tweet on Thursday, Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr said that he instructed his parliamentary bloc’s members not to be in the coming new government, in order to give more options for Abdul Mahdi to form his government.
He called on all political parties not to put pressure on the options of Abdul Mahdi, “so that he can form a cabinet free from party pressure, sectarian and ethnic quotas, while maintaining the diversity of the Iraqi society.”
The Shiite leader said he gave the new government a full year to prove itself to the Iraqi people.
Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Nechirvan Barzani, said in a press conference on Thursday that the mechanism of electing the Iraqi president did not reflect the will of the people of Kurdistan, and that what happened would certainly affect the mechanism of forming the next regional government.
On the other hand, Barzani congratulated Abdul Mahdi, expressing his full support to him.
