BAGHDAD: Iraq’s parliament on Tuesday postponed indefinitely what would have been only its second session since a March election, extending a political deadlock that has plagued the country.
The delay is the latest setback in what has been a nearly five-month process that has yet to result in a new government being formed, and comes barely more than a month before US combat troops are set to withdraw from Iraq.
"We are postponing the session until further notice because the political entities failed to reach any agreement," Fouad Massum, who as the oldest member of parliament holds the post of caretaker speaker, told a news conference.
"We held a meeting this morning with the heads of the parliamentary blocs and we agreed to give more time to political entities to reach agreement regarding the selection of a speaker and his two deputies."
He added: "The representatives of the political entities insisted on calling the current government a caretaker administration."
Tuesday’s session was to have been only the second since the March 7 parliamentary election. The first, which took place on June 14, was adjourned after only 20 minutes.
The selection of a new speaker and president — ahead of the naming of a new premier — is likely to be part of a grand bargain between Iraq’s competing political blocs, further complicating the formation of a new government.
Iraq’s four main political groups, none of which has the 163 seats required for a parliamentary majority to form a government on its own, have been unable to hammer out a coalition deal since the nationwide vote.
The political vacuum continues to dog Iraq only around a month before US combat troops are due to leave the country at the end of August.
"It is a disappointing decision," said Salim Al-Juburi, an MP with the Sunni Tawafuq party.
"Each day that passes means the suffering is increasing, the security situation is aggravating, and we are moving far from the interests of the people."
Kurdish MP Saeed Rasul, however, characterized the postponement as "positive," arguing it was "better than entering the parliament hall without having reached an agreement."
US and Iraqi officials have warned of the dangers of an upsurge in violence as negotiations on forming a coalition drag on, giving insurgent groups an opportunity to further destabilize the country.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staffs, arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday to review plans for the American troop drawdown and efforts to form a governing coalition.
His visit follows comments on Thursday from US President Barack Obama calling on Iraqi political parties to form a government "without delay," and less than a month after Vice President Joe Biden visited Iraq to urge politicians to put aside personal ambitions and form a government.
Former premier Iyad Allawi’s Iraqiya bloc finished first in the election with 91 seats, followed closely by Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki’s State of Law alliance with 89.
The Iraqi National Alliance, a group of Shia religious parties, finished third with 70 seats.
