NGOs candidate to the MOI: Maliki ordered to withdraw my guards

Baghdad (NINA) – NGOs candidate to the Ministry of Interior, Sheikh Abbas Al Muhammadawi, announced that Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki ordered the withdrawal of his guards.

The NGOs announced in a press conference last week the withdrawal of the nomination of its candidate for the MOI, Muhammadawi, for "the absence of political agreement to accept independent candidates and their adherence to the electoral rights.”

Chairman of the Organization for Human Rights, Salah Bushey, said in a statement on behalf of the NGOs "the national interest pushed us to be part of the outstanding issue, which is the delay in the formation of the security ministries; we thought to present an independent candidate away from partisan and sectarian quotas."

For his part, Muhammadawi announced "there was great pressure practiced against him to withdraw his nomination," at the same time, refusing to label those who practiced these pressures.

He said "I do not care about such pressures, but, my withdrawal from this nomination came because I saw that the doors are closed for independents."