By Emily Anagnostos and the ISW Iraq Team
Iraqi Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi faces an upcoming
vote of no-confidence in the Council of Representatives (CoR) following
accusations of corruption from the Reform Front, the opposition bloc driven by
former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The possibility of his dismissal
has fractured the cohesion of the Sunni political blocs, risking the long-term
success of efforts to reconcile and reintegrate Iraqi Sunnis with Baghdad.
Obeidi may need to rely on support from non-Sunni blocs in order to survive the
vote, currently scheduled for August 23. Osama al-Nujaifi - the leader of the
Mutahidun Bloc that includes Obeidi - has reportedly met with Kurdish and Iraqi
Shi’a parties, particularly the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), in
order to broker a political deal to support the embattled minister. It remains
unclear if the Reform Front’s effort to remove Obeidi has the support of the
165 CoR members required to dismiss a minister. This political crisis
nonetheless comes at an inopportune time as the Coalition and the Iraqi
Security Forces (ISF) set conditions to retake Mosul. Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend
assumed command of Operation Inherent Resolve on August 21 and vowed to retake
Mosul during his one-year term. The successful removal of Obeidi and the likely
follow-up changes to senior leadership in the ISF would complicate this
timeframe.
