Deadlocked Iraqi lawmakers put off next meeting until Sept. 15



BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi lawmakers who met this week for the first time since a May election and are still struggling to form a new government, decided on Tuesday to put off their next meeting until Sept. 15, having failed to elect a parliament speaker.

Naming a speaker and two deputies is the first major step towards establishing a new government, with lawmakers still trying to determine which of competing blocs had the most seats.

An alliance backing Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and a populist Shi’ite cleric has been competing with a rival bloc backed by Abadi’s predecessor Nuri al-Maliki and an Iran-backed Shi’ite armed group.

After parliament met on Monday for the first time since the election, its temporary leader said it would remain in session until Tuesday. But lawmakers failed to reach a quorum on Tuesday and agreed to return in 11 days.

On Sunday, lawmakers backing Abadi and cleric Moqtada al-Sadr announced they had managed to form an alliance that would give them a majority bloc in parliament.

Article Credit: https://www.reuters.com/
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