US, Iraq, Lebanon: A case of unlikely parallels in politics

By Busra Nur Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) – A political standoff unseen in a century has landed the US in an unlikely group with nations that have heard Americans pontificate about democracy and its values at some point or the other in history.

In this week’s disarray in the US Congress there were parallels to what transpired last year in Iraq and Lebanon, two countries beset by political instability for years.

After three tortuous days and nearly a dozen failed attempts, there is still no certain end in sight to the deadlock over a new US House speaker.

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has been unsuccessfully trying to get the coveted post since Jan. 3, the first day of the 118th Congress that was elected just about two months ago.

In a larger context, the US and McCarthy’s dilemma is certainly not unique, as jousting over positions of power is a norm in politics.

What sets it apart is that McCarthy’s fellow Republicans are the ones blocking his path, a group of nearly two dozen supporters of party stalwart and former President Donald Trump.

Over 200 of McCarthy’s colleagues have backed him in the votes, but the dissidents remain adamant in their opposition, going as far as to even rebuff Trump’s appeals to support the beleaguered congressman.

McCarthy failed to win the vote for an 11th time on Thursday, marking a first since the US Civil War in the mid-1800s.

That was despite multiple media reports suggesting that he had given in to several of their demands, including a new rule that would allow a single House member to force a vote on removing the speaker.

A 12th round of voting will begin at noon on Friday, with McCarthy and the Republicans hoping for an end to an impasse that has virtually paralyzed American democracy.

- Iraq

In Iraq, political parties were unable to agree on a new prime minister and government for over a year after parliamentary elections were held on Oct. 10, 2021.

There was progress on the issue after Abdul Latif Rashid was elected as president on Oct. 20 last year, succeeding Barham Salih, who held the post since 2018.

Rashid picked Mohammed Shia al-Sudani for prime minister, who managed to put together a Cabinet that secured a vote of confidence from Iraq’s deeply divided parliament on Oct. 27.

The political stalemate marked the longest period that Iraq went without a functioning government since its first post-US invasion elections in 2005.

- Lebanon

Since 2019, Lebanon has been plagued by a crippling economic crisis that, according to the World Bank, is one of the worst the world has seen in modern times.

The country has also been without a fully functioning government since last May, with Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his Cabinet wielding limited powers in their current caretaker role.

On Dec. 15, Lebanese lawmakers failed for the 10th time to elect a new president, a position that fell vacant on Oct. 31 when Michel Aoun’s six-year term ended without an agreement on a successor.

In the latest round, Michel Moawad received 38 votes, well short of the figure needed to win the first round.

A total of 37 lawmakers cast blank ballots, while the remaining backed other candidates.

A candidate needs two-thirds of votes in the 128-member assembly to make it through the first stage. An absolute majority is needed in subsequent rounds.

The session concluded with no date set for the next one, meaning that Lebanon entered the new year without a government and mired in a stalemate with no solution on the horizon.