Babil group rejects “party pressure”, organize protest
Shafaq News– Babil
On Tuesday, Jamahir Babil (Babil People) group set January 17 as the date for a planned demonstration to support the candidate for governor, Amir Al-Maamouri, rejecting the “will of political parties.”
In a statement, the group said that Babil “is neither a testing ground nor a bargaining chip, and cannot be treated as spoils to be divided by the powerful,” adding that residents had clearly expressed their choice for “a clean national option that represents the will of the people, not the will of deals and political quotas.”
Ignoring the demand would amount to “a direct disregard for Babil’s will,” it said, warning that continued delays would lead to “legitimate popular escalation.”
Earlier, dozens of Babil residents staged demonstrations calling for the appointment of former lawmaker Al-Maamouri as governor.
Meanwhile, supporters of the Sadiqoon Bloc, the political wing of Asaib Ahl Al-Haq led by Qais al-Khazaali, organized a march yesterday. Shafaq News correspondent reported that participants voiced backing for the bloc’s nominee, Ali Turki Al-Jamali, urging Provincial Council members from across the political spectrum “to act fairly and in line with the election results.”
Babil’s Provincial Council failed on January 10 to convene a scheduled session to elect a new governor due to the lack of a legal quorum. The Sadiqoon Movement in the province, to which former governor Adnan Fayhan belongs, accused what it described as opponents of its project of obstructing the nomination process and warned of a possible response.
Competition over the post has intensified between the State of Law Coalition and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq after former Babil governor Adnan Fayhan was elected first deputy speaker.
Read more: Iraq Parliament finalizes speakership, heads toward presidential vote
