The new Iraqi President, Barham Salih on Wednesday took over power from his predecessor Fuad Masoum, and the newly-assigned prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi was praised by his predecessor Haidar al-Abadi, in what was Iraq’s fourth peaceful transition of power since 2005.
Masoum said in his speech that practicing the powers in the past four years, away from any foreign intervention, has revealed a series of constitutional gaps that were the reason behind hindering the state’s affairs and its institutions.
He saw that the constitution needs an urgent revision and amendment for the sake of developing and tackling the gaps as well as going in tandem with the global legal developments. He stressed that the root of the current political crisis was legal, especially with the absence of a constitutional amendments committee.
The scene in Baghdad on Wednesday was fascinating and the news of electing a third Kurdish president for Iraq grabbed the headlines.
Iraqi politician Hassan Al-Alawi said, in a phone-call with Asharq Al-Awsat, that Salih has good relations in the international level.
He added: "He does not have racist or sectarian tendencies. He has the ability to adapt to any new surroundings. He is charismatic and forces people to cooperate with him."
Alawi pointed out that Salih is surrounded with a group of enemies whether in Baghdad, Erbil or even his party's headquarter in Sulaymaniyah – however, he is capable of overcoming most of these hardships.
