Crisis in Iraq: Can it End One Year on?

ALBAWABA - One year on after Iraq held its last parliamentary election, the country remains in a deep political crisis. There is a deadlock among the different political factions over who should form the government. There has been bickering and more.

Meanwhile there is a political paralysis both concerning the caretaker government, its Prime Minister of Mustapha Al Khadimi as well as the president Barham Salih whose term ended early this year but has stayed on till a new government can be patched together and a new figure head is chosen. 

Its a political mess. The public sector is in chaos because Al Khadimi is unable to pass a budget until a new government is formed and policies are not being made to deal with the soaring unemployment and high cost of living. The caretaker government is there to make sure that the executive power continues.

Meanwhile the deputies political wranglings has been taken to the streets with opposing parties fighting one another along well-defined factions lead by the one hand Muqtada Al Sadr who won 73 seats in the last election but has been unable to form a government even with his Sunni allies and because he is facing the Coordination Framework of motely Shiite parties who refuse to budge on ministerial seats.   

Meanwhile a year after Iraq's last general election on 10 October, 2021, the United Nations mission urged political factions to end the deadlock paralysing the oil-rich country, warning that "Iraq is running out of time" as reported by AFP. 

"The protracted crisis is breeding further instability... it threatens people's livelihoods," the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq said, urging "dialogue without preconditions" towards a stable government in the war-scarred nation, as quoted in the French news agency. 

The social media has been rife with the beleaguered one year anniversary that sees no end. While Iraqi government have always faced tough times in being formed especially after general elections this has never been experienced in the country before with politics leaving the legislative chamber into the streets. 

One year on the stalemate appears to be what it is, continuing till the parties themselves come together and say we want to form a new government. Some analysts say, in the final analysis Iran may have sway on the Coordination Framework and force it to sit down and agree to a cabinet but there are two things to consider.

Tehran has not, or was not interested on leaning on its allies for the past 10 months to create a credible government in its neighbour country, so why should it do so now? As well, Iran is facing its biggest political crisis in years with the death of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini at a Tehran police station, is facing mass demonstrations all over the country and is not able people able to lean on anyone at the moment.