Iraq's divided parliament Thursday postponed a confidence vote for the government of prime minister-designate Mohammad Allawi over lack of quorum, plunging the country deeper into political uncertainty.

The vote has been a key demand of Allawi as well as well populist cleric Moqtada Sadr who had threatened to organise mass protests outside parliament unless lawmakers backed the government in a vote this week.

After multiple meetings between parliamentary groups and key officials, including Allawi, parliament speaker Mohammed Halbusi postponed the session until Saturday.

The political wrangling coincides with unprecedented protests since October 1 in the capital and Iraq's south, demanding a complete government overhaul.

Prompting objections from protesters, political parties nominated Allawi as a consensus candidate this month, after President Barham Saleh threatened to unilaterally choose a premier if they failed to agree.

But two months after outgoing premier Adel Abdel Mahdi's government resigned under pressure from the street, lawmakers remain divided over the distribution of cabinet posts.

Another bone of contention is the fate of the 5,200 US troops stationed in Iraq, which Shiite lawmakers have voted to expel, over objection from their Sunni and Kurdish counterparts.

Iraq closes public spaces as first coronavirus case hits capital
Baghdad (AFP) Feb 27, 2020 - Iraq announced the first confirmed case of coronavirus in the capital Baghdad on Thursday, taking nationwide infections to six and raising concerns about the capacity of the dilapidated health system to respond.

The government announced sweeping measures late Wednesday to try to contain the spread of the virus, ordering the closure of schools and universities, cafes, cinemas and other public spaces until March 7.

It also banned travel to or from some of the worst affected countries, including China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Italy, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Iraq had already blocked entry for foreigners travelling from neighbouring Iran, the main source of coronavirus infections in the Middle East, or China, where COVID-19 originated.

The health ministry said the first case in Baghdad was in a young man who had recently returned from Iran.

Iran has reported 19 fatalities from 139 infections -- the highest death toll outside China.

The patient was placed under quarantine in a Baghdad hospital and is currently "in good health," it said in a statement.

Iraq's six confirmed cases have all been traced to neighbouring Iran, a popular tourism destination for Iraqis, who also visit the country to receive medical treatment.

Many hospitals in Iraq are poorly equipped or in disrepair and there are fewer than 10 doctors for every 10,000 people, the World Health Organization says.

Baghdad is the Arab world's second most populous city after the Egyptian capital Cairo.

The health ministry advised against large gatherings, urging officials to take steps to "restrict intermixing," a move that may deal a blow to anti-government protests that have gripped Baghdad and southern Iraq since October.

The Iraqi football federation said its games would be played in empty stadiums until further notice.

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As Iraqis rally against corruption, ministries up 'for sale'
Baghdad (AFP) Feb 21, 2020
With Iraq rocked by months of protests against corruption and nepotism, the judiciary is investigating allegations ministeries are up for sale as politicians wrangle to form a new government. These "sales and purchases", which insiders say have dogged Iraqi politics for years, are again a hot issue as prime minister-designate Mohammed Allawi seeks to build a cabinet acceptable to both protesters and the political class. Similar allegations have surrounded other governments formed since Saddam Hu ... read more