In the past three months, Iraq has witnessed serious political upheavals and conflicts between political parties as widespread protests, especially in Baghdad and the central and southern provinces, led to the government's resignation as one of the demands of the protesters, as well as amending the election law in the parliament despite the Kurdish opposition. Despite expectations that the president should nominate the Prime Minister to Parliament within 15 days, Iraq is now in a state of crisis, which has made it difficult to analyze and anticipate future developments because of the differences between the main blocs in selecting candidates and the rejection of four candidates in the Presidential Reconstruction Coalition, as well as the determination of the protesters to continue to take the streets.

However, as one of the country's main spectrum, Kurds have their own interests and readings of the changes. They defend what they call the legitimate and legal demands of the protesters, at the same time they worry about some of the abuses during these protests. On the other hand, they do not welcome the amendments to the election law did not like what was passed and they voted against it. At the same time, despite efforts to create a joint Kurdish dialogue, they have not been able to gather under a single umbrella in Baghdad, and there is a lack of trust in the relationship between Kurds, especially the small and large parties.

The Kurdpress News Agency conducted a detailed discussion with Shwan Raber, the secretary of the Leadership Council of the Islamic Community, to analyze the current situation in Iraq and the Kurdish position, in particular.

Kurdpress: What is your assessment of the latest developments regarding the election of the new prime minister, which has become a crisis in political arena in Iraq? Why have Iraqi political parties and coalitions not been able to close this case and who is responsible for the current situation?

The current situation in Iraq is very confusing and dangerous. On the other hand, we are witnessing the death and injury of protestors on a daily basis. We also see major and serious tensions between the Hashid al-Shaabi forces and the U.S., which if not resolved will end in bad consequences. At the present time, the U.S. government's plan for Iraq is to weaken and restrict Shiite powers and movements; a matter that is unacceptable by the Shiites who hold the rule. The current situation ultimately led to the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, but the move, which was a demand for the protesters, did not change the situation, and attempts to elect a new prime minister have failed.

The protesters have a collection of demands, widespread and also radical. Most candidates will not accept the nomination and reject the choices. Their focus is on introducing an impartial candidate who has no history in taking office, and it is hard to find such an option in the political scene and among the parties.

Because of the deteriorating situation, the main and victorious parties do not have the will and desire to take the office as the highest executive authority in the country; fearing that all failures and crises will end in thier name. I do not think that the current stage is a suitable and qualified alternative to Adel Abdel Mahdi as prime minister.

Iran and the U.S. are worried that the current changes in Iraq will lead to more crises and will therefore bring new changes.

The Iraqi Council of Representatives has been unable to solve the crisis of the election of a prime minister with the help of the president through a legal process and a specified period of time. That is why we are witnessing a continued crisis.

Officially, the president and them the parliament are responsible for closing the prime minister-resignation case, but for these reasons the issue remains unresolved and it is difficult to be resolved and if another candidate is nominated, there is a possibility of another crisis.

Kurdpress: What is your expectation of the future and the political process in Iraq, given the continued protests and crises in Iraq and the failure of efforts to select a new prime minister?

These protests are the result of the government's destructive actions, economic corruption, and injustice. There are no plans to implement reforms and provide citizens with welfare. This is why we are witnessing a continuation of our protests. If we see more violence, the situation becomes more chaotic and, as a result, crises will become more complicated, and the result is that problems and crises will be even more acute. In the past few years some conditions have been created in Iraq, as a result of which, injustice, corruption and the use of power have become common, and it is difficult to solve these problems. At the same time the citizens have become disappointed would no longer accept the current situation.

Kurdpress: How do you evaluate the Iraqi president's approach and performance at the current stage?

Iraqi President Barham Ahmed Saleh is a wise and patient and has a positive performance, but his influence is not as much as expected, because he is a Kurdish man and they are indifference to his decisions. The situation is chaotic and citizens have adopted a very aggressive approach, and they are not willing to accept any candidates for office of the Prime Minister. This has made the President to not be able to submit a candidate to the parliament on the basis of the constitution and then end the problems; meanwhile the current situation has put him under heavy pressure and he cannot resolve the issue as expected. Therefore, the current crisis is not the result of the president's weakness, but the complexity of the situation has made the present situation.

Kurdpress: What is your analysis of the position of Kurdish political parties and representatives regarding the election of the new Iraqi prime minister?

So far, some Kurdish parties are into having Adel Abdul Mahdi as prime minister, but he has resigned and the case has been closed. It is likely that he will eventually be asked to remain in office. In any case, finalizing such an issue is not decided in Kurdistan, and Kurdish parties and movements cannot play a major role on this matter in Baghdad. Some in the Kurdistan Region are pleased with the turmoil in central Iraq, as they believe that Baghdad will be in a weak position and that they will tell people of the Kurdistan region should that our situation is better than the people in the center of Iraq. The deterioration of the situation will also have a negative impact on Kurds, however.

Kurdpress: Will the Kurds have a common stance and a unified approach to the developments in Iraq?

No, the Kurds do not have a unified position on the situation in Baghdad and the Prime Minister's issue, but the interests of their parties will decide their position.

Kurdpress: What are the conditions of the Kurds for supporting the candidates who will be nominated to become Iraq’s prime minister?

Kurds have not yet reached an agreement among themselves on the conditions to become next prime minister. But they will have their demands.

Kurdpress: What is your assessment of the future of Erbil-Baghdad agreement on the budget and oil?

It's a very good deal. I wish Erbil and Baghdad could reach an agreement on all the issues of conflict and dispute, so that the relationship between the two sides will improve, and that the relationship between Erbil and Baghdad would provide the interests of both sides. This conflict will undoubtedly harm both sides.

The relationship is based on power and interests. The agreement between Erbil and Baghdad could be cancelled or replaced by another agreement, but I believe that if the Kurdish Regional Government uses the oil card against Baghdad, the central government will also play the budget card against Erbil. The current situation in Iraq has also contributed to the lack of agreement in Iraq. It is important to see whether the person who takes office in the future will be satisfied with this agreement. All of these factors affect the future of the agreement.

Kurdpress: The Iraqi Council of Representatives passed the election law amending despite the Kurdish opposition. What changes will these amendments make and what are its results for the Kurds?

Some of the amendments to the Iraqi Election Law have been problematic and are aimed at weakening some of the country's components and monopolizing the law. Freedom, justice, and true representation of the people are most of the interests of the country's major parties and harm the rights of smaller parties. Both parties seek to secure the constitutional amendments to their objectives and interests, and this is considered a negative one, because the principle is that through the law; The right to freedom and legal rights should not be used as a tool to violate these rights and serve the interests of parties.

Reporter’s code: 50101