The nominations for the upcoming Iraqi prime ministry seat saw the circulation of seven names, headed by outgoing PM Haider al-Abadi and including one of the cousins of Muqtada Sadr, whose Sairoun alliance got the most votes in the May 12 Iraqi elections.
An informed political source, who wished to remain anonymous, told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday that most potential figures to win the PM seat are head of the Victory Alliance and head of Dawa party’s politburo Haider al-Abadi, followed by Iraqi National Security Advisor, Faleh al-Fayad, former Sadrist official and former deputy speaker Qusay al-Suhail and Iraq's Mineral and Industry Minister Mohammed al-Sudani.
The source added that the Sadrist Movement had presented the name of Ali Dawai Lazem, the current Governor of Maysan Province, as a candidate for the PM post, to later withdraw his name and support the candidature of Jaafar al-Sadr, the cousin of Muqtada al-Sadr and the son of Mohammad Baqer al-Sadr, who was assassinated by Saddam Hussein in 1980.
Currently, the Sairoun Coalition and the Victory Alliance are fiercely competing with the Fateh Alliance of Hadi al-Amiri and the State of Law Coalition of Nouri al-Maliki.
The source said that Saleh al-Hasnawi, the former Iraqi health minister is another name bandied about for prime minister in case the Fateh Alliance succeed to form the largest parliamentary bloc, considering that al-Hasnawi is a moderate figure who is accepted by all parties.
“The same applies on Dia Asadi, the 49-year-old Basra lawmaker who is an advocate of Muqtada al-Sadr,” he said.
Meanwhile, two homemade bombs targeted the Baghdad headquarters of the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) on Friday.
ICP central committee member Jassim al-Halfi told Asharq Al-Awsat that what happened “is an attempt by corrupt and unrewarded people to halt our project aiming for reform and change.”
