If the parties are unable to agree by then, Salih threatened to make the selection of a candidate himself.

Such a move would doubtlessly raise constitutional objections. The largest bloc in the Council of Representatives is responsible for nominating the prime minister, who is then formally appointed by the president, whose role has historically been ceremonial.

On November 30, Adil Abdul Mahdi sent a letter to the Council of Representatives signaling his intention to step down under pressure from massive street protests in Baghdad and the southern provinces. Since then he has remained in power in a caretaker role.

Numerous names have been offered up to replace Abdul Mahdi, but vetoed in turn either by the president, the parties, or the street. Most dramatically, Salih threatened to resign if the parties insisted on nominating a governor of Basra who had been roundly rejected by protesters.

“Iraq faces a dangerous political juncture,” Salih said in the letter, which was sent to the heads of the political parties, arguing that lawmakers had a responsibility to fulfil the “legitimate demands of the people” to form a new government that would pave the way to new elections.

“Events are accelerating and the scene is getting more complicated on the official and popular levels,” Salih said, noting that the death toll from the protests continued to climb.

More than 500 people have been killed and 17,000 wounded since October 1, when mostly poor youth began turning out to protest corruption and call for root-and-branch changes to governance in Iraq.

“I call on you, as parliamentary blocs concerned with the nomination of the Prime Minister, to resume constructive and serious political dialogue in order to agree on a new candidate for the presidency of the Council of Ministers who has popular approval and to submit it to the Presidency of the Republic,” Salih wrote.

Reporter’s code: 50101