Iraq prime minister to sue the president

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki made the announcement in the midst of mounting calls for him to step aside.

15:33 11 August 2014

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced that he will sue the president on Monday in a desperate bid to keep his job in spite of mounting calls for him to step aside. He is accusing Iraq’s president, Kurdish veteran Fuad Masum, of violating the constitution twice, essentially by failing to officially designate him as the prime minister. 

 

"Today I will file a formal complaint to the federal court against the president.” Maliki said in an address broadcast at the stroke of midnight on state television. 

 

Masum theoretically had 15 days after his July 24 election to pick a prime minister. Maliki’s Shiite coalition won the April polls but his standing has been undermined by the jihadist offensive launched on June 9 that overran large swathes of Iraq. 

 

Meanwhile, Maliki deployed security forces across Baghdad even as violence raged in the north, akin to measures taken in a state of emergency. 

 

"There is a huge security presence, police and army, especially around the Green Zone," a high-ranking police officer said, referring to the highly-safeguarded district that is home to many of Iraq's key institutions..

 

"Several streets have been closed... as well as some key bridges," said an official at the interior ministry. "It's all linked to the political situation."