Source: Al-Halbousi spent $160 million to prevent the election of Barzani’s candidate for the presidency.
A source in Anbar province revealed on Thursday that Mohammed al-Halbousi, head of the Progress Alliance, spent more than $160 million to prevent the election of Masoud Barzani’s candidate for the presidency.
The source told the Information Agency that “Mohammed al-Halbousi turned the parliamentary session to elect a new Speaker of Parliament into a marketplace for buying the votes of some MPs to secure the passage of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s candidate, Nizar Amidi, thus eliminating Barzani’s candidate and mobilizing support for his victory. This was also intended to send a message to Barzani that the will of the parties could be broken by the weapon of money.”
The source added that “Al-Halbousi succeeded in tipping the scales in favor of money by spending more than $160 million to prevent the election of Masoud Barzani’s candidate for the presidency, sending a message to the regional government about his ability to manipulate the position using political funds.” The source explained that “Al-Halbousi wanted to create a political maneuver using money to break Barzani’s grip and prevent his control and dominance over some Sunni political parties.”
The source further explained that “Al-Halbousi shifted the political discourse from dialogue to numbers and deals, which places the future of Sunni-Kurdish alliances before a new test of the resilience of political loyalties in the face of financial temptations.” The source emphasized that “Al-Halbousi’s maneuver highlights the state of division and political conflicts between the Progress Party and Barzani’s party.”
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