Iraq’s Prime Minister-Designate Resigns after Parliament Fails to Approve Government

In a Video, Allawi asked the Iraqi presidency to excuse him from forming a new government in a speech on Sunday.

He added that he made the decision after seeing that "certain political factions are not yet ready reform" and that continuing his tenure under such circumstances would run contrary to his promises to the Iraqi people.

Allawi's withdrawal comes a few hours after Iraq’s parliament failed to reach a quorum necessary to hold a vote-of-confidence session for Allawi’s new government for a third time in a week.

Allawi was tasked early February with forming a new government after former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned in the wake of unprecedented anti-government protests which accused the former government of corruption and mismanagement.

The demonstrations, which started in early October last year, have since regularly turned violent amid reports of foreign intervention.

Several hundred people, including security forces, have lost their lives in the violence.

Rockets hit Green Zone

A few hours after the resignation was announced in the early hours of Monday, media reports claimed that two blasts were heard from rockets targeting "US assets" in the Iraqi capital's "Green Zone".

The Green Zone is home to several Western embassies and government offices including the parliament, the prime minister's office, and the presidency.

In recent months the fortified zone has been repeatedly targeted by Katyusha rockets by unknown parties.