Iraq: Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani assigned to form a new gov't

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Iraqi President-elect Abdul Latif Rashid charged on Thursday Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani with forming a new government.

This comes after Rashid was elected as President of the Republic of Iraq today, after winning 162 votes in the second round of the elections.

Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani tweeted saying: "Thanks to God, and thanks to you, the people’s representatives who gave me their trust in assigning me to form the government. I promise the Iraqis that I will live up to their expectations by presenting the cabinet formation as soon as possible," adding that "it will a strong government capable of building the country, serving the citizens, maintaining security and stability, and building balanced international relations."

شكراً لله وشكراً لممثلي الشعب الذين منحوني ثقتهم بتكليفي لتشكيل الحكومة.
أَعِدُ العراقيين أنْ أكون عند حسن ظنهم بتقديم التشكيلة الوزارية بأقرب وقت، وأنْ تكون حكومةً قويةً وقادرةً على بناء البلد وخدمة المواطنين وحفظ الأمن والاستقرار وبناء علاقاتٍ دوليةٍ متوازنة.

— محمد شياع السوداني (@mohamedshia) October 13, 2022

Rashid's victory came after a second round of the presidential elections, in which the two candidates Abdul Latif Rashid and Barham Salih participated, and the competition between them lessened in the first round, with the first receiving 157 votes and the second 99 votes.

Iraq held early legislative elections on October 10, 2021, after which Iraqi parties failed to reach an agreement on electing a new president of the republic and naming a new prime minister.

The Iraqi Coordination Framework's nomination of Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani was a spark that ignited tension between the framework and the Sadrist movement. The latter's supporters staged a sit-in in front of Parliament for about a month, but the coordinating framework did not back down from its candidate and insisted on the formation of a government with full powers while Al-Sadr demanded the dissolution of Parliament and early elections.