Iraqi PM-designate apologizes for forming new govt

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammad Tawfiq Allawi has apologized for forming a new government, hours after Parliament failed to hold a session to vote on his cabinet line-up.

In a letter sent to President Barham Salih on Sunday, Allawi said that he apologized because he was "in front of an equation, the position of Prime Minister in exchange for lack of honesty with my people and continuing the position at the expense of their suffering", reports Xinhua news agency He said that his choice was "simple and clear, which is to be with my people, especially when I saw that some political parties were not serious about reform that they promised the people with".

Earlier in the day, the Iraqi Parliament postponed its scheduled session to vote on the cabinet proposed by Allawi to Monday due to a lack of quorum amid political disputes.

On February 27, Parliament had failed to meet to vote on the new cabinet for similar reasons.

Before the postponement, the parliament witnessed a heated debate among the political blocs over the candidates of Allawi's cabinet, which prompted some lawmakers to boycott the session again as they did on February 27.

On February 1, President Salih appointed Allawi as the Prime Minister-designate to form a new cabinet, and according to the Iraqi constitution, Allawi has 30 days to form a cabinet and present it to Parliament for approval.

Allawi's appointment came two months after former Prime Minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi resigned from the post.

The appointment ended a two-month period in which Abdel-Mahdi was running the country on an interim basis amid the nationwide anti-government protests that claimed 536 lives since it began last October.

The protesters demands include comprehensive reform, fight against corruption, better public services and more job opportunities.