Iraqi president asks Maliki to form next government

BAGHDAD. November 12. KAZINFORM Iraqi President Jalal Talabani asked incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to form the next government despite the walk-out of members of Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc led by former prime minister Ayad Allawi after a dispute over a power-sharing deal; Kazinform refers to Xinhua.

"I ask Nuri al-Maliki to form the next government as his is the candidate of the largest bloc according to the constitution," the newly re-elected president said in his speech after he sworn in.

According to the Iraqi constitution, Maliki will have 30 days to form his cabinet.

Talabani was easily re-elected by 199 votes after the Iraqi cross-sectarian political bloc walked out of the parliament first session in a protest before a vote on Iraq's new president.

Most members of the Iraqia bloc walked out of the session because they refused to vote on the president post before the parliament approve their demands which had earlier been brokered between the Iraqia bloc and other parliamentary blocs.

The newly elected parliament speaker, Osama al-Nujaifi walked out of the session protesting the "deep differences and the mistrust among the political blocs." But later he returned to chair the session.

"We have walked out of the session, because we think that the political deals must be respected," Haidar al-Mullah, spokesman of Iraqia told reporters outside the parliament hall.

The Iraqia lawmakers wanted the parliament to approve their demands which had been brokered by the Iraqia and its rival blocs.

One of the Iraqia demands was to issue a law for the National Council for Strategic Policies, which would give its nominated leader Ayad Allawi more power on security issues, and to review the de-Bathification law; Kazinform cites Xinhua.

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