23 January 2011
Baghdad - A National Coalition (NC) deputy said on Sunday that the head of the Turkomani Islamic Union Abbas al-Bayatti is the most eligible Turkomani candidate for the post of vice president from within the NC.
Saad al-Mutlabi told AKnews that Bayatti has the support of most of the parties both within the ruling NC and outside it, as his performance in the previous administration was respected by most of the other blocs.
"The issue of choosing a Vice President is very complex," he said, "...the NC is keen to represent the Turkomani in this post, but also representatives of other groups from within the bloc."
Mutlabi said that the Vice President would be nominated following the announcement of the as yet unnamed security ministers.
Other candidates for the post from within the NC include the former Iraqi Vice President and leader of the Iraqi National Alliance Adel Abdul-Mahdi, and Khudair Khuzaie.
President Jalal Talabani, who has voiced his personal support for a Turkoman vice president on several occasions, issued the Vice President of the Republic Act last week, which accommodates the selection of up to three Vice Presidents.
The third post of Vice President has been the focus of some controversy. The National Coalition (NC) led by the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki would like to entrust the office to the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) leader Adel Abdul-Mahdi, while al-Iraqiya led by former PM Ayad Allawi has nominated Tariq al-Hashimi for the position.
The Turkomani are the third biggest ethnic group in Iraq following the Arabs and the Kurds respectively.
As the Turkomani deputies did not stand in the elections as an independent list but are spread across a number of political blocs, opponents of their bid for the contested vice presidency have said they do not have the appropriate number of electoral points to secure such a position.
Baghdad - A National Coalition (NC) deputy said on Sunday that the head of the Turkomani Islamic Union Abbas al-Bayatti is the most eligible Turkomani candidate for the post of vice president from within the NC.
Saad al-Mutlabi told AKnews that Bayatti has the support of most of the parties both within the ruling NC and outside it, as his performance in the previous administration was respected by most of the other blocs.
"The issue of choosing a Vice President is very complex," he said, "...the NC is keen to represent the Turkomani in this post, but also representatives of other groups from within the bloc."
Mutlabi said that the Vice President would be nominated following the announcement of the as yet unnamed security ministers.
Other candidates for the post from within the NC include the former Iraqi Vice President and leader of the Iraqi National Alliance Adel Abdul-Mahdi, and Khudair Khuzaie.
President Jalal Talabani, who has voiced his personal support for a Turkoman vice president on several occasions, issued the Vice President of the Republic Act last week, which accommodates the selection of up to three Vice Presidents.
The third post of Vice President has been the focus of some controversy. The National Coalition (NC) led by the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki would like to entrust the office to the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) leader Adel Abdul-Mahdi, while al-Iraqiya led by former PM Ayad Allawi has nominated Tariq al-Hashimi for the position.
The Turkomani are the third biggest ethnic group in Iraq following the Arabs and the Kurds respectively.
As the Turkomani deputies did not stand in the elections as an independent list but are spread across a number of political blocs, opponents of their bid for the contested vice presidency have said they do not have the appropriate number of electoral points to secure such a position.
© AK News 2011
