(9 Apr 2020) Adnan Al-Zurfi announced on Thursday that he is stepping down from forming the Iraqi government, giving way to Intelligence Chief Mustafa Al-Kathemi to form the ministerial portfolio.
The nominated Iraq's intelligence chief is the third prime minister-designate in just over a month.
Adnan Al-Zurfi's candidacy was imperilled in the past 48 hours when key Shiite parties rallied around Iraq's intelligence head, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, to replace him.
His chances were further diminished when the main Kurdish and Sunni blocs withdrew support for his candidacy.
In a resignation letter al-Zurfi cited “internal and external reasons” that prevented him from carrying out his duties as premier-designate.
On April 4, eight Iran-backed militia groups issued a joint statement accusing al-Zurfi of being an “American agent” and threatened lawmakers if they approved his proposed cabinet.
Kadhimi, who is backed by parties across Iraq's fragmented political scene, is unlikely to face the same set backs as Allawi and al-Zurfi.
According to Iraq's constitution, he has 30 days to present a Cabinet lineup to parliament.
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