June 8, 2010Iraqi Parliament to Convene but Deadlock
These are troubled times for Iraq.
The March elections were supposed to bring in a new dynamic government able to sort out the country's many problems.
But instead we have a political vacuum which extremists could exploit.
Its the number one issue for everybody involved in wanting to bring stability to this country but one which seems a long way from being resolved.
It was announced today that Iraq's newly elected parliament will convene next week.
But the reality is it doesn't mean much.
They had no choice as the country's constitution is clear, parliament must be seated by June 15th.
But the 325 seat legislature continues to be hopelessly split on selecting a new Prime Minister and the rest of the government.
The problem is none of the major political coalitions won an outright majority in the March elections.
The Iraqiya alliance, led by former prime minister Ayad Allawi picked up the most seats with strong support from the Sunni community.
Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki's State of Law coalition didn't perform as well as expected and managed two fewer MP's.
Since then Al-Maliki's group has teamed up with others to create a large Shiite group four short of an outright majority in parliament.
Both leaders think they should be the next Prime Minister, but neither has the numbers to back it up.
Many interested parties, such as the US military and the US Ambassador Christopher Hill have urged them to sort out the political impasse.
The solution some religious and political leaders have floated is a coalition government involving all the major political groups.
But most political experts suggest the negotiations could drag on for months before there will be a functioning government here in Iraq.
The major concern is that parliament is splitting into rival camps based mainly on religion.
The Iraqi public are watching to see if Sunni and Shia can work together to rebuild this country.
If they can't there is a real fear that the extremists could fill the political vacuum.
