Iraqi prime minister resigns after eight years

The UN and the US have welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s resignation; observers hope the move will end the region’s political crisis.

16:52 15 August 2014

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, who previously refused to step down from his post, has announced his resignation.

Appearing on state TV, he said: "I announce before you today, to ease the movement of the political process and the formation of the new government, the withdrawal of my candidacy in favour of brother Doctor Haider al-Abadi.”

Mr Maliki, who previously insisted that he had the right to form the government, said that he is now stepping down because he doesn’t want to be the cause of the shedding of a single drop of blood.

Meanwhile, the United States, which supports Haider al-Abadi, the deputy speaker of parliament, welcomes the resignation.

US President Barack Obama said: "He [Mr Abadi] still has a challenging task in putting a government together, but we are modestly hopeful that the... situation is moving in the right direction.”

Mr Maliki’s government, which spanned eight years, failed to stop Islamist fighters from seizing vast areas in the northern part of the country. Attacks carried out by the Sunni Muslim jihadist group have triggered a security and humanitarian crisis that drove about 1.2 million Iraqis from their homes.