Iraqi parties debate PM candidates rejected by the street

The day before the deadline to designate a new Iraqi prime minister, political parties were wrangling over three candidates: all insiders and all rejected by a months-old anti-government protest movement.

President Barham Saleh has until midnight Thursday to appoint a replacement for outgoing premier Adel Abdel Mahdi, who resigned after two months of unprecedented demonstrations that have rocked the capital Baghdad and south.

The protests continue to push for the overhaul of the political system in place since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, defying violence that has left around 460 dead and 25,000 wounded.

On Wednesday, three names appeared to remain on the table after many meetings of party heads and other leaders of parliamentary groups. Qusay Al Suhail, outgoing higher education minister, has for several weeks been presented by officials as the candidate of Iran.

A former key member of Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr’s movement, Suhail rejoined the Rule of Law Alliance of former prime minister Nouri Al Maliki — close to Iran and enemy of Sadr — and seems to become the favourite for the premiership.

Another front-runner was Mohammed Al Soudani, 49, former minister and ex-governor of a southern province now in the grip of protests and violence.