IRAQ'S prime minister has threatened to call early elections that could tighten his grip on power if the nation's political factions fail to break an impasse that has all but paralysed the government.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's gambit is the latest in a months-long political crisis in Iraq that has Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds alike calling for his resignation. The impasse also has fuelled fears of a possible flare-up in violence by insurgents seeking to take advantage of the chaos.
Bombings targeting a Shiite cleric and an anti-al-Qaeda militia fighter killed at least 11 people overnight in Baghdad.
Mr al-Maliki, a Shiite, said continued refusals by his political opponents to negotiate a resolution to the impasse would leave him little choice but to call for a new vote. He did not mention a date.
"When the other party is refusing to sit down at the negotiating table and insists on the policy of creating continued crises ... then the prime minister finds himself obliged to call for early elections in which the Iraqi people will have the final say," he said on his official website.
Mr al-Maliki's threat to hold snap elections comes in response to months of demands for his resignation by Sunni, Kurdish and some Shiite leaders who said they have been sidelined from power. It's unclear whether they have the political will or enough support in parliament to oust Mr al-Maliki in a no-confidence vote.
The influential anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr this week joined Mr al-Maliki's opponents in calling for his resignation, raising the stakes against the prime minister.
By countering with a threat to call for early elections, Mr al-Maliki is betting that his popular support nationwide would hand him a clear-cut victory and assure him undisputed executive authority.
The crisis began when the government issued terrorism charges against the nation's highest-ranking Sunni politician, Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, as the last US troops withdrew from the country. That prompted Sunni politicians to briefly boycott the cabinet, and government work came to a standstill.
The standoff also has raised fears that insurgents could use the political chaos to try to reignite the sectarian animosities that drove Iraq to the brink of civil war five years ago.
Overnight, bombs targeting the Baghdad homes of a Shiite cleric and a member of a Sunni militia that fights al-Qaeda killed at least 11 people. The attacks on two of al-Qaeda's favourite targets brought Iraq's death toll for June to at least 186, making it the bloodiest month since January.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét