Iraq ex-governor named PM-designate

Baghdad
Iraq’s president Tuesday named a former governor of the city of Najaf as prime minister-designate, following weeks of political infighting, as Baghdad residents rushed to stock up on supplies hours before a days-long curfew was set to take hold amid a global pandemic. Adnan al-Zurfi was appointed premier-designate by President Barham Saleh after tense meetings between rival political blocs that went on for weeks without reaching a consensus on a candidate to replace outgoing Premier Adil Abdul-Mahdi. Hours after the announcement, Iraq’s powerful Fatah parliamentary bloc rejected al-Zurfi’s candidacy signaling a rocky path to government formation for the new premier-designate. The development came after an earlier premier-designate, Mohammed Allawi, withdrew his candidacy after political groups rejected his proposed Cabinet lineup. –AFP