Political crisis hampers normal life in Iraq: Prime minister

BAGHDAD

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said Tuesday that the government formation crisis is hampering normal life in the country.

This came in a speech marking the 41st anniversary of the founding of the Badr Organization, a faction of the pro-government Hashd al-Shaabi militia.

"We strive to find solutions, but unfortunately we sometimes opt to invent obstacles and political obstruction," al-Kadhimi said.

He pointed out that "the people are worried about the future from the consequences of the political deadlock, which hinders life."

“We must admit that there are constitutional differences and inconsistencies in the management of the state,” the Iraqi premier said.

The Iraqi Parliament has failed to elect a new president since the country’s parliamentary elections on Oct. 10.

The election of a new president is an essential step to move forward with forming a new government amid differences over candidates for the posts of president and prime minister.

Meanwhile, Iraqi authorities raised the state of alert among security forces to thwart possible attacks by the Daesh/ISIS terror group, a police source told Anadolu Agency.

The state of alert C is the highest security level in the country; where all members of security agencies must be present in their institutions and locations.

Daesh/ISIS has been active in the provinces of Salahuddin, Anbar, Kirkuk and Diyala, at a time when the federal government is struggling to contain attacks of the terrorist group by launching security and military operations in the northern, western and eastern regions of the country.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh/ISIS by reclaiming all territories the terrorist group controlled since the summer of 2014 which was estimated to be about a third of the country’s territory.

The group, however, still maintains sleeper cells in large areas in Iraq and occasionally launches sporadic attacks.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat