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Six months on from elections that failed to deliver a new president or prime minister, Iraq remains in a state of complete political deadlock. A dispute between the two largest political blocs has led to a boycott of parliament, meaning quorum cannot be reached. Ordinary Iraqis are feeling the economic consequences of this standoff. FRANCE 24’s Lucile Wasserman reports.
Long delays are typical when forming a government in Iraq – with power-sharing talks between political blocs typically lasting around five and a half months. But six months on from Iraq’s last parliamentary elections, those discussions are simply not happening.
The biggest winner at the polls, Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, refuses to include his top rivals, an alliance of pro-Iran parties, in any forthcoming government.
Ordinary citizens are suffering from the fallout from this standstill. Construction manager Muhannad al-Asadi usually has 10 projects on the go on the outskirts of Baghdad, but the political situation has brought most of his work to a halt.
“Most of the funds for infrastructure projects for roads, sewage, electricity, etc. are all funded by the federal budget,” al-Asadi said. “Since the government hasn’t been formed, the budget hasn’t been submitted, let alone approved.”
Al-Asadi couldn’t hide his frustration with the political situation: “We went to vote, now it’s time for politicians to step up and work together, form a government and move this country forward,” he said.
Click on the video player above to watch FRANCE 24’s report.
