Haider Al Abadi was a surprise choice to be Iraq’s next prime minister but his collegiate style as a parliamentarian and minister might help with the vital task of regaining the trust of those Sunni politicians and leaders who have joined the revolution of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). If Al Abadi is to build a more inclusive Iraq, he needs the Sunni politicians to return to mainstream politics.
The dire situation in Iraq needs a quick resolution to the appointment of a new prime minister, and it is a matter of regret that the incumbent Nouri Al Maliki has resisted President Fouad Masoum’s choice of Al Abadi, even though the Shiite National Alliance has voted for Al Abadi by 130 votes compared to only 40 for Al Maliki, and he may well win the vote of confidence in parliament with the help of other religious blocs.
Al Maliki wants to stay in office for a third term, but his deeply sectarian policies triggered a mass desertion of Sunni politicians. The dangerous extremists of Isil saw their opportunity and they quickly forged an opportunistic alliance with Sunni and tribal militias which then jointly succeeded in capturing large swathes of Iraqi territory, including the army’s main base in Mosul. If Al Maliki stays in office any reconciliation would be impossible and there would be no international help for Iraq.
This is why a wide range of influential voices at first asked Al Maliki to step down, like a spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, who rarely intervenes in Iraqi day to day politics, and then supported the appointment of Al Abadi, including US Secretary of State John Kerry, and Ali Shamkhani, secretary and representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. These three represent Iraq’s many friends who agree on the need for Al Maliki to go, even if Iran harboured some doubts about Al Abadi’s reservations over Tehran’s strong influence in Iraq. They all agree that a quick resolution in favour of Al Abadi is essential to get Iraq out of its current chaos.
