Iraq PM to lead diverse coalition in May election

Haider Al-Abadi, Prime Minister of Iraq speaking to the media following the Counter-ISIL Coalition Small Group Meeting in London, 22 January 2015. (Photo By Foreign and Commonwealth Office – Flickr: Counter-ISIL Coalition Small Group Meeting, CC BY 2.0)

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s prime minister says he will lead a “cross-sectarian” list in national elections proposed for May, hoping to build off last year’s victory against the Islamic State group.

In a statement issued late Saturday, Haider al-Abadi says his Victory Alliance will “boost the country’s integrity and national sovereignty, correct mistakes and achieve justice and equality for all Iraqis.

” He says the “miracle of victory and unity must lead to a new and brighter era.

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Al-Abadi, who comes from Iraq’s Shiite majority, assumed office in 2014, weeks after IS stormed across northern and central Iraq. Since then, Iraqi forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition have gradually retaken all the territory once held by the Sunni extremists.

Iraq’s Cabinet has proposed elections for May 12, a date that awaits final parliamentary approval.