BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said he will not “cling to power,” after the country’s highest Shiite religious authority called for the appointment of a new head of government. A member of the leader’s parliamentary bloc, however, said Friday that if al-Abadi gets a majority in the legislature he will form the new Cabinet. The legislator spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media. Al-Abadi’s political position has weakened in the wake of rioting in Iraq’s oil capital, Basra, over corruption, failed services and contaminated drinking water. Political analyst Ihsan al-Ashaari said al-Abadi’s statement does not mean that the outgoing prime minister is no longer trying to hang on to the post.

Source: National Post September 14, 2018 15:53 UTC