Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BAGHDAD423
2006-02-11 20:32:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Baghdad
Cable title:
GOVERNMENT FORMATION UPDATE: VERY CLOSE COUNT ON
how-toVZCZCXRO3729 PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHMOS DE RUEHGB #0423/01 0422032 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 112032Z FEB 06 FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2644 INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000423
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2016
TAGS: PGOV PNAT KDEM ECON IZ
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT FORMATION UPDATE: VERY CLOSE COUNT ON
THE SHIA ISLAMIST PRIME MINISTER RACE
Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ROBERT S. FORD FOR
REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000423
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2016
TAGS: PGOV PNAT KDEM ECON IZ
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT FORMATION UPDATE: VERY CLOSE COUNT ON
THE SHIA ISLAMIST PRIME MINISTER RACE
Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ROBERT S. FORD FOR
REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).
1. (C) Summary: In the competition for Iraq's Shia
Islamist Coalition (List 555) to name a prime minister
nominee, we estimate that incumbent Prime Minister Jafari
has a slim lead on challenger Adil Abd al-Mahdi, but the
race is too close to call. On February 11, Shia
Coalition members decided to postpone until the following
day a decision on their candidate for Prime Minister.
The Sadrists called a meeting on February 11 to affirm
their bloc's choice for PM; they appear to be
consolidating their bloc's support for Jafari. Sadrist
Minister of State for Civil Society Affairs told PolOffs
that most of the Shia Islamist Coalition leaders were
afraid to allow a vote because they supported Abd al-
Mahdi, but if there were a vote Jafari would win.
Backers of Abd al-Mahdi were announcing that a major
group within the Shia Coalition, the Fadhila Party, would
back Abd al-Mahdi - throwing him vital support. However,
two Abd al-Mahdi aides told us late February 11 in
private that Fadhila leader Jabiri has not made up his
mind as to which of the two lead candidates to support.
Abd al-Mahdi has to have Fadhila's support as well as
that of the majority of List 555 independents to win.
Jafari can win without Fadhila, but he needs a large
minority of the independent deputies of List 555 to back
him to win. The race is exceptionally close, with every
one of the 128 List 555 deputies' votes counting. End
Summary.
--------------
List 555 News Conference
--------------
2. (U) In a February 11 news conference broadcast on Al
Iraqiya TV, TNA Constitutional Drafting Committee Chair
and senior SCIRI leader Sheikh Humam Hamudi, senior Dawa
Party leader Jawad al-Maliki, and Badr Organization
leader Hadi al-Ameri announced that one of the groups
within the Shia Islamist Coalition had asked that for a
delay in a decision on PM until February 12. (Note: A
vote will take place if the Coalition parties do not
reach a consensus before the February 12 meeting. End
Note.) Sheikh Hamudi, a support of fellow SCIRI party
member Abd al-Mahdi for prime minister, also announced
that the Shia Coalition's Fadhila Party would support Abd
al-Mahdi in the race. Late February 11 Abd al-Mahdi
appeared on SCIRI's al-Furat TV claiming he had the
support for Fadhila and the List 555 independents.
--------------
An Offer for Fadhila
--------------
3. (C) President Jalal Talabani told the Ambassador on
February 10 evening that SCIRI has offered to make
Fadhila Party General Secretary Nadeem al-Jabiri a Deputy
Speaker of the Council of Representatives (CoR) and give
Fadhila control of two ministries in return for Fadhila's
support of Abd al-Mahdi. Likewise, Haitham al-Husseini,
SCIRI Chief-of-Staff, told PolOff in a February 11 phone
conversation that Fadhila would support Abd al-Mahdi for
the PM position. However, the Baghdad rumor mill was
saying February 11 that Jafari's offer was higher than
SCIRI's.
--------------
Sadrists For Jafari
--------------
4. (C) Nasser al-Saadi of the Sadr Bureau announced on Al
Iraqiya TV that the Sadrists support PM Jafari, but they
will not withdraw from the Coalition if Jafari is not
elected. According to a variety of reports, the Sadrists
held a meeting on February 11 to decide whom they will
support.
5. (C) Sadrist State Minister for Civil Society Affairs
Ala'a Khadim al Safi told PolOffs February 11 that most
of the Shia Coalition leaders back Abd al-Mahdi.
However, most of the 128 deputies would vote for Jafari,
and hence the Coalition leaders were delaying a vote. He
predicted that Jabiri dropping from the competition would
result in Abd al-Mahdi picking up Fadilah votes.
--------------
Independents to Back Abd al-Mahdi?
--------------
BAGHDAD 00000423 002 OF 002
6. (C) According to SCIRI's Haitham al-Husseini, most
independents will vote to back Abd al-Mahdi. Qassem
Daoud, one of the 26 independents, also told us the same
thing on February 11. One story making the rounds is
that the independents would vote as a single bloc.
However, Sami al-Askari, a 555 independent, predicted to
us on February 11 that the independents would split their
votes. Most would go for Abd al-Mahdi, but he stated
that he and some others would vote for PM Jafari.
-------------- --------------
Abd al-Mahdi Advisors Think It's Too Close to Call
-------------- --------------
7. (C) In a February 11 meeting, two of Abd al-Madhi's
advisors, Fareed Yaseen and Zuhair Humadi, told PolOffs
that the prime minister race is still too close to call.
Humadi said that Fadhila Party's Nadim al-Jabiri had not
yet made up his mind on which candidate to support.
Yaseen said he was unaware that the Sadrists held an
internal vote today and surmised that it was the reason
the Coalition did not announce the premiership.
8. (C) Regarding cabinet positions, Humadi was confident
that Barham Salih would become a Deputy Prime Minister
and Hussayn Shahristani would be appointed Deputy
President. Yasseen said Abd al-Mahdi would insist the
Oil Ministry would not go to Fadhila next time. Instead,
it would go to a qualified technocrat like Thamir
Ghadban. Humadi suggested that Qasim Daoud would make a
good Interior Minister. Most notably, Humadi said there
would be no role for Jafari -- he could accept a deputy
speaker position or go back to London, Humadi said.
--------------
The Scorecard
--------------
9. (C) Assuming, however, that Fadhila does back Abd al-
Mahdi, the vote would be as follows:
For DP Mehdi:
15 SCIRI
15 Badr
15 Fadhila
Total: 45
For PM Ja'fari:
12 Dawa
13 Dawa Tanzim
28 Sadrists
Total: 53
--------------
Comment
--------------
10. (C) The figures above leave 26 independents and four
"entities with no Coalitions," such as tribal sheikhs, to
decide the race. Jafari must have the support of 12
independents/entities to win a 65 vote majority. Abd al-
Mehdi would need the support of 20 independents/entities.
In our checking with various Shia political sources, we
hear that Jafari is likely to win somewhere around 8 - 12
independents. The numbers above assume that all
Coalition members are in Baghdad to vote. We believe
some may miss the vote.
KHALILZAD
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2016
TAGS: PGOV PNAT KDEM ECON IZ
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT FORMATION UPDATE: VERY CLOSE COUNT ON
THE SHIA ISLAMIST PRIME MINISTER RACE
Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ROBERT S. FORD FOR
REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).
1. (C) Summary: In the competition for Iraq's Shia
Islamist Coalition (List 555) to name a prime minister
nominee, we estimate that incumbent Prime Minister Jafari
has a slim lead on challenger Adil Abd al-Mahdi, but the
race is too close to call. On February 11, Shia
Coalition members decided to postpone until the following
day a decision on their candidate for Prime Minister.
The Sadrists called a meeting on February 11 to affirm
their bloc's choice for PM; they appear to be
consolidating their bloc's support for Jafari. Sadrist
Minister of State for Civil Society Affairs told PolOffs
that most of the Shia Islamist Coalition leaders were
afraid to allow a vote because they supported Abd al-
Mahdi, but if there were a vote Jafari would win.
Backers of Abd al-Mahdi were announcing that a major
group within the Shia Coalition, the Fadhila Party, would
back Abd al-Mahdi - throwing him vital support. However,
two Abd al-Mahdi aides told us late February 11 in
private that Fadhila leader Jabiri has not made up his
mind as to which of the two lead candidates to support.
Abd al-Mahdi has to have Fadhila's support as well as
that of the majority of List 555 independents to win.
Jafari can win without Fadhila, but he needs a large
minority of the independent deputies of List 555 to back
him to win. The race is exceptionally close, with every
one of the 128 List 555 deputies' votes counting. End
Summary.
--------------
List 555 News Conference
--------------
2. (U) In a February 11 news conference broadcast on Al
Iraqiya TV, TNA Constitutional Drafting Committee Chair
and senior SCIRI leader Sheikh Humam Hamudi, senior Dawa
Party leader Jawad al-Maliki, and Badr Organization
leader Hadi al-Ameri announced that one of the groups
within the Shia Islamist Coalition had asked that for a
delay in a decision on PM until February 12. (Note: A
vote will take place if the Coalition parties do not
reach a consensus before the February 12 meeting. End
Note.) Sheikh Hamudi, a support of fellow SCIRI party
member Abd al-Mahdi for prime minister, also announced
that the Shia Coalition's Fadhila Party would support Abd
al-Mahdi in the race. Late February 11 Abd al-Mahdi
appeared on SCIRI's al-Furat TV claiming he had the
support for Fadhila and the List 555 independents.
--------------
An Offer for Fadhila
--------------
3. (C) President Jalal Talabani told the Ambassador on
February 10 evening that SCIRI has offered to make
Fadhila Party General Secretary Nadeem al-Jabiri a Deputy
Speaker of the Council of Representatives (CoR) and give
Fadhila control of two ministries in return for Fadhila's
support of Abd al-Mahdi. Likewise, Haitham al-Husseini,
SCIRI Chief-of-Staff, told PolOff in a February 11 phone
conversation that Fadhila would support Abd al-Mahdi for
the PM position. However, the Baghdad rumor mill was
saying February 11 that Jafari's offer was higher than
SCIRI's.
--------------
Sadrists For Jafari
--------------
4. (C) Nasser al-Saadi of the Sadr Bureau announced on Al
Iraqiya TV that the Sadrists support PM Jafari, but they
will not withdraw from the Coalition if Jafari is not
elected. According to a variety of reports, the Sadrists
held a meeting on February 11 to decide whom they will
support.
5. (C) Sadrist State Minister for Civil Society Affairs
Ala'a Khadim al Safi told PolOffs February 11 that most
of the Shia Coalition leaders back Abd al-Mahdi.
However, most of the 128 deputies would vote for Jafari,
and hence the Coalition leaders were delaying a vote. He
predicted that Jabiri dropping from the competition would
result in Abd al-Mahdi picking up Fadilah votes.
--------------
Independents to Back Abd al-Mahdi?
--------------
BAGHDAD 00000423 002 OF 002
6. (C) According to SCIRI's Haitham al-Husseini, most
independents will vote to back Abd al-Mahdi. Qassem
Daoud, one of the 26 independents, also told us the same
thing on February 11. One story making the rounds is
that the independents would vote as a single bloc.
However, Sami al-Askari, a 555 independent, predicted to
us on February 11 that the independents would split their
votes. Most would go for Abd al-Mahdi, but he stated
that he and some others would vote for PM Jafari.
-------------- --------------
Abd al-Mahdi Advisors Think It's Too Close to Call
-------------- --------------
7. (C) In a February 11 meeting, two of Abd al-Madhi's
advisors, Fareed Yaseen and Zuhair Humadi, told PolOffs
that the prime minister race is still too close to call.
Humadi said that Fadhila Party's Nadim al-Jabiri had not
yet made up his mind on which candidate to support.
Yaseen said he was unaware that the Sadrists held an
internal vote today and surmised that it was the reason
the Coalition did not announce the premiership.
8. (C) Regarding cabinet positions, Humadi was confident
that Barham Salih would become a Deputy Prime Minister
and Hussayn Shahristani would be appointed Deputy
President. Yasseen said Abd al-Mahdi would insist the
Oil Ministry would not go to Fadhila next time. Instead,
it would go to a qualified technocrat like Thamir
Ghadban. Humadi suggested that Qasim Daoud would make a
good Interior Minister. Most notably, Humadi said there
would be no role for Jafari -- he could accept a deputy
speaker position or go back to London, Humadi said.
--------------
The Scorecard
--------------
9. (C) Assuming, however, that Fadhila does back Abd al-
Mahdi, the vote would be as follows:
For DP Mehdi:
15 SCIRI
15 Badr
15 Fadhila
Total: 45
For PM Ja'fari:
12 Dawa
13 Dawa Tanzim
28 Sadrists
Total: 53
--------------
Comment
--------------
10. (C) The figures above leave 26 independents and four
"entities with no Coalitions," such as tribal sheikhs, to
decide the race. Jafari must have the support of 12
independents/entities to win a 65 vote majority. Abd al-
Mehdi would need the support of 20 independents/entities.
In our checking with various Shia political sources, we
hear that Jafari is likely to win somewhere around 8 - 12
independents. The numbers above assume that all
Coalition members are in Baghdad to vote. We believe
some may miss the vote.
KHALILZAD