Iraq's Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi has withdrawn his candidature for the post. Mr Allawi accused members of the country's fractured Parliament of standing in his way and prolonging a months-long political crisis.<br />'' <br />'' Mr Allawi said in a statement presented to President Barham Salih that he tried with all possible ways to save our country from sliding into the unknown and to solve the current problem. But,  during the negotiations, he ran into many things unrelated to the country's interests, he added.<br />'' <br />'' President Salih will begin consultations to choose a new candidate for Prime Minister within 15 days.<br />'' <br />'' Mr Allawi's move came hours after legislators failed for the second time this week to approve his Cabinet of independents amid political infighting in a country that has been rocked by months of anti-establishment protests that forced the resignation of Prime  Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. His resignation came a month after he was selected for the post and two months after Abdul Mahdi, who remains a caretaker Prime Minister, stepped down.<br />'' <br />'' More than 500 people have been killed and 30,000 wounded since the mass protests seeking an overhaul of the country's political system began in October in the capital, Baghdad and several southern cities with rights groups accusing security forces of using excessive force against demonstrators.<br />''  <br />