Iraq’s Supreme Islamic Council to move to opposition in Parliament, MP says

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq’s Supreme Islamic Council (Shiite) is planning to move to the opposition in the Iraqi Parliament, the Legislature in the National Coalition, comprising the Council, Batoul Farouq said on Tuesday.   “The Supreme Islamic Council shall change into an opposition bloc in the Parliament, especially after its leading member, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, had withdrawn his nomination for the Iraqi vice-president’s post,” she told IraqiNews.com news agency, pointing out that the Council would withdraw from other government posts in the forthcoming few days.   Media sources had reported recently that Adel Abdul-Mahdi has requested Iraq’s President Jalal Talabani to withdraw his candidacy for the vice-president’s post, due to his non-wish to renew his post for another session.   “Abdul-Mahadi’s decision to withdraw his candidacy for the vice-president’s post was not due to the delay of voting to renew his post as vice-president,” Farouq said, adding that “the Supreme Islamic Council, shall move to the opposition, and the withdrawal of Abdul-Mahdi was the beginning of the Council’s decision to refrain from joining the government.”   The Supreme Islamic Council holds 19 out of 159 seats in the Iraqi Parliament’s 325 seats, and the Council comprises the State of Law Alliance, comprising al-Daawa Party (led by Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki) and some independent elements), the National Coalition, comprising the Sadrist Trend, the Supreme Islamic Council and al-Fadhila (virtue) Party.   SKH (TR)/SR 484