Al-Aqad Al-Watani Somarion and other MPs announce withdrawal Construction and Development Bloc

The Al-Aqad Al-Watani Bloc, the Somarion Movement, and other MPs announced today, Friday, their withdrawal from the Construction and Development Bloc.

They said in a joint statement: "While we extend our sincerest congratulations and blessings to the new Iraqi government and to the Prime Minister on the occasion of the ministerial lineup gaining the confidence of the House of Representatives, wishing them success in performing their great national tasks, working with a spirit of responsibility to serve Iraq and its honorable people, and meeting the aspirations of citizens for security, stability, reform, and achieving social justice and comprehensive development."

The statement continued: "As we emphasize our support for every sincere national effort that contributes to building the state, strengthening its institutions, and consolidating its prestige, we put the interest of Iraq above all considerations, and we believe that the current stage requires concerted efforts and working in a spirit of true partnership, away from narrow interests and personal calculations."

It added: "From here, we announce our official withdrawal from the Construction and Development parliamentary bloc, against the background of what happened during yesterday's session of a clear bypass of political and organizational agreements, and the breach of covenants and charters that were agreed upon, in addition to adopting methods of exclusion and marginalization against a number of representatives of the people, in practices that are not consistent with democratic principles nor with the spirit of national partnership that is supposed to govern parliamentary work."

It explained: "We have followed, with great regret, attempts to snatch constitutional entitlements from those whom the people gave their trust, and dealing with political files with a mindset of settling personal accounts, and prioritizing individual interests over the national interest, which contributed, directly or indirectly, to the state of chaos and tension witnessed under the parliament dome yesterday, for which we believe the leadership of the Construction and Development Bloc bears part of its political and moral responsibility."

It completed: "Based on our national and moral responsibility before our people, we have decided to disengage from this bloc and work with a group of national MPs who reject the principle of quotas and bargaining at the expense of citizens' rights and the entitlements of the people's representatives, in order to establish a new national coalition to be announced soon, carrying a true reform project that expresses the hopes and aspirations of Iraqis, defends the citizen's rights and dignity, and believes in the just state, stable institutions, and the rule of law."

It concluded by saying: "We also emphasize our adherence to the national principles and constants on which the Coordination Framework was formed, and our belief in the necessity of maintaining national unity and joint work in a way that serves Iraq's supreme interest and preserves the will of its people."