Following the protest: Iraqi president refused to nominate candidate close to Iran

Barham Salah, who according to the constitution is required to cast the prime minister on the biggest bloc candidate in parliament, refused to appoint Iran-backed Al-Idani. This, after the protesters took to the streets to denounce his candidacy. The President said he would resign: "Avoid bloodshed"

Following the protest: Iraqi president refused to nominate candidate close to Iran

Iraqi President Barham Salah on Thursday refused to be prime minister for the bloc's candidate in Iran-backed parliament after the latter was rejected by protesters against the government. On his decision, Salah said he was ready to submit his resignation to parliament.

In a statement released by Salah's bureau, the president said he would not appoint Basra district governor Asad al-Idani as the next prime minister "to avoid greater bloodshed and to maintain peace in the country." Al-Idani's name was suggested this week by Iranian officials within the Iraqi government. Iraqi protesters rejected the possibility of appointing Al-Idani, and took to the streets to denounce his candidacy and call for an independent candidate.

In his statement, Saleh said his refusal to appoint Al-Idani as prime minister could be interpreted as a violation of the constitution. He added that he was offering his resignation to Parliament, but could not submit his actual resignation.

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Iraqi protesters oppose Assad al-Idani's appointment as prime minister (Photo: Reuters)

Iraqi protesters oppose Assad al-Idani's appointment as prime minister, December 26, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

Salah's move may further deepen the political crisis in the country, which has been aggravated by the wave of mass protests in the country since October. The protesters are calling for the prime minister not to appoint any of the political candidates in Iraq because they were partners in the country's corruption and mismanagement. The protests, centered on Baghdad and the Shiite-majority south, have become a protest against Iran's political and military influence in the country.

Prime Minister Adal Abdel-Mahdi filed his resignation late last month under pressure from protesters, calling for his ouster. More than 450 people were killed in the October riots, most protesters were killed by security forces firing tear gas and live ammunition.

Under Iraq's constitution, the largest bloc in parliament is required to appoint the new prime minister, who must be approved by the president. The deadline for appointing a new prime minister has already been missed twice because of disagreements which is the biggest bloc in parliament after last year's election.

The government has surrendered to the protesters, but Iraq will find it difficult to free itself from Iran

Photos of those killed in demonstrations in Baghdad (Photo: Reuters)

Photos of Baghdad demonstrations killed on December 26, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

The Iraqi parliament has two main blocs - Cyron, led by populist Shiite cleric Muqteda al-Sadr, and Fatah, led by Hadadi al-Amiri. But the numbers in both blocs have changed since last year's election, with an unknown number of lawmakers leaving their bloc and joining another bloc.

Last Saturday, the Iraqi Supreme Court provided guidance on how to deal with the political crisis, but did not determine what is the biggest bloc. The court statement said the decision should be based on the first session of Parliament after taking office last year. However, the court also said it would accept a situation where two or more lists would merge and become the largest block.

President Saleh sent the court's response to Parliament, asking the legislature to say which bloc is the largest. A Facebook page close to Al-Sadr thanked the president for his stance, saying: "Thank you, Mr. President, for rejecting the candidates the people reject - a position that history, the people and the Shi'ite religious authorities will remember."