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UPDATE 9:27 p.m.: WASHINGTON (TheBlaze/AP) — The United States said it “fully supports” Iraq’s new president, just hours after embattled Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki accused him of violating the constitution.
The U.S. rejects any effort to use coercion or manipulation in the process of choosing a new Iraqi leader, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, adding that the U.S. supports “building a national consensus and governing in an inclusive manner.”
Al-Maliki accused Fouad Massoum, who was named president last month, of neglecting to name a prime minister from the country’s largest parliamentary faction by Sunday’s deadline.
UPDATE 8:47 p.m.: Mina Al-Oraibi, an Iraqi journalist in London, notes that “street fighting is a real concern in Baghdad tonight.”
More from Reuters:
Maliki, seen as an authoritarian and sectarian leader, has defied calls by Sunnis, Kurds, some fellow Shi’ites and regional power broker Iran to step aside for a less polarizing figure who can unite Iraqis against Islamic State militants.
Reuters added that the soldiers were deployed in strategic areas of Baghdad following a televised speech in which Maliki indicated he wouldn’t bend to pressure to drop his bid for a third term. The news agency added that several police sources indicated the forces took positions at key entrances to the city.
Maliki added in his speech that he’ll file a legal complaint against the country’s new president for committing “a clear constitutional violation.” He accused Fouad Massoum of neglecting to name a prime minister from the country’s largest parliamentary bloc by Sunday’s deadline, adding that Massoum has violated the constitution “for the sake of political goals.”
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The U.S. rejects any effort to use coercion or manipulation in the process of choosing a new Iraqi leader, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, adding that the U.S. supports “building a national consensus and governing in an inclusive manner.”
Al-Maliki accused Fouad Massoum, who was named president last month, of neglecting to name a prime minister from the country’s largest parliamentary faction by Sunday’s deadline.
UPDATE 8:47 p.m.: Mina Al-Oraibi, an Iraqi journalist in London, notes that “street fighting is a real concern in Baghdad tonight.”
More from Reuters:
Maliki, seen as an authoritarian and sectarian leader, has defied calls by Sunnis, Kurds, some fellow Shi’ites and regional power broker Iran to step aside for a less polarizing figure who can unite Iraqis against Islamic State militants.
Reuters added that the soldiers were deployed in strategic areas of Baghdad following a televised speech in which Maliki indicated he wouldn’t bend to pressure to drop his bid for a third term. The news agency added that several police sources indicated the forces took positions at key entrances to the city.
Maliki added in his speech that he’ll file a legal complaint against the country’s new president for committing “a clear constitutional violation.” He accused Fouad Massoum of neglecting to name a prime minister from the country’s largest parliamentary bloc by Sunday’s deadline, adding that Massoum has violated the constitution “for the sake of political goals.”
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