Dubai The United States has thrown its weight behind Iraqi president Fuad Masoum after he was accused by prime minister Nouri Al Maliki of violating the constitution.
As security forces massed in the capital Baghdad, the under-pressure Al Maliki made the surprise announcement on state television on Sunday night that he would be filing a complaint against Masoum.
But US state department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement: “The United States fully supports president Fuad Masoum in his role as guarantor of the Iraqi constitution.
“We reaffirm our support for a process to select a prime minister who can represent the aspirations of the Iraqi people by building a national consensus and governing in an inclusive manner,” she said, echoing an earlier comment made on Twitter by deputy assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs Brett McGurk.
“We reject any effort to achieve outcomes through coercion or manipulation of the constitutional or judicial process.”
US president Barack Obama has urged Iraqi politicians to form a more inclusive government that can counter the growing threat from the Islamist militant group Isil, which stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Al Maliki, who has been under huge pressure to give up his bid for a third term, alleged Masoum, a Kurd, had violated the constitution twice, including by failing to task a prime minister-designate with forming a new government.
“I will submit today an official complaint to the federal court against the president of the Republic for committing a clear constitutional violation for the sake of political calculations,” said Al Maliki.
Serving in a caretaker capacity since an inconclusive election in April, Al Maliki has defied calls by Sunnis, Kurds, some fellow Shiites, regional power broker Iran and Iraq’s top cleric for him to step aside for a less polarising figure.
However, a bloc comprising Iraq’s biggest Shiite parties is close to nominating a successor to Al Maliki, the deputy speaker of parliament Haider Al Abadi said early on Monday, suggesting Al Maliki would have to step aside.
Abadi is one of the people that has been mentioned as a possible successor to Al Maliki.
His comments in a tweet came after police sources said special forces and Shiite militias loyal to Al Maliki had been deployed in strategic areas of Baghdad after his television speech.
An eyewitness told Reuters that a tank was stationed at the entrance to Baghdad’s Green Zone, which houses government buildings.
Many Iraqis see Al Maliki as partly responsible for the recent losses to Isil in northern Iraq because he has institutionalised sectarianism.
Washington, Tehran, the Shiite religious leadership and much of Al Maliki’s own party have pulled their support, but he has dug his heels in and apparently not yet given up on seeking a third term.
“The United States stands ready to support a new and inclusive government, particularly in the fight against [Isil],” Harf said.
“We believe such a new and inclusive government is the best way to unify the country against [Isil], and to enlist the support of other countries in the region and international community.”
