Sadr Lashes Out At Rivals, Judiciary; UNAMI Says Political Will To End Deadlock Is “Painfully Absent”; Parliament Bypasses Court Ruling On Spending Bill; Salah Ad-Din Governor Sacked — On May 16, Muqtada al-Sadr attacked his rivals in the Coordination Framework (CF) and the Federal Supreme Court after the latter blocked a Sadr-backed IQD25 trillion spending bill. Sadr issued a veiled threat to his rivals, warning of “the anger of the patient and the oppressed.” On May 17, the head of UNAMI told the Security Council that despite repeated talk of dialogue, the political will to reach a solution to the post-election deadlock was “painfully absent.” The problem, according to UANMI, was that “the national interest is…taking a backseat to short-sighted considerations of control over resources.” On May 18, the Iraqi Parliament’s Financial Committee presented a new draft of the “Emergency Support for Food Security and Development” bill to the Speaker of Parliament, and on the following day, the legislature conducted a first reading of the IQD25 trillion bill. An earlier draft with the same title was first presented by PM Kadhimi’s Cabinet in late March, but the Federal Supreme Court ruled on May 15 that a caretaker government lacks the power to present bills. On May 19, Parliament voted to sack the governor of Salah ad-Din province, Ammar Jabr al-Jubouri, who was investigated in April for allegedly soliciting bribes from contractors. In other developments, on May 19, a document circulating on local news sites appeared to show that five lawmakers from the Emtidad movement had decided to withdraw from the party in objection to unilateral decisions made by the party’s secretary general, Ala’ al-Rikabi. more…
Iraqi Forces Kill 20 ISIS Militants In New Operations; Militias Ramp Up Attacks On Supply Convoys — Between May 12…
