Iraq’s Adil Abdul Mahdi says will walk away from caretaker PM role

Adil Abdul Mahdi will walk away from his role as Iraq’s caretaker prime minister and will not conduct most of his official duties, he said in a statement on Monday, deepening a political crisis in the oil producer.

Abdul Mahdi called on parliament to call early elections on Dec. 4, the statement said, which came a day after lawmakers failed to approve a cabinet of his designated successor Mohammed Allawi, who later then withdrew his candidacy.

President Barham Salih announced that he will begin consultations to choose a replacement within two weeks.