September 26, 2010,
Disputed Iraqi coalition meets as country awaits new government
Disputed Iraqi coalition meets as country awaits new government
Baghdad - A coalition of Iraqi parties, which joined forces to form a disputed majority in parliament, met Sunday evening amid a political impasse that has left the country without a new government for nearly seven months.
The National Alliance is expected to announce their candidate for the contested post of prime minister before Monday - the deadline for consensus the parties in the alliance assigned themselves.
But former Shiite prime minister Iyad Allawi, whose Iraqiya party won the most parliamentary seats in the March 7 elections, has said he does not recognize the National Alliance.
In a statement on his website, he said the alliance was a desperate attempt to 'consolidate political sectarianism.' He also said he would not agree to go to Iran for talks about how to form an Iraqi government, taking a jab at other leading Shiite politicians.
Shiite-backed Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is seeking a renewed term in office and has aligned himself with popular Shiite cleric Ammar al-Hakim's coalition to form the National Alliance.
But there are National Alliance members who favor al-Maliki's competition, Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi - specifically, followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who have yet to forget al- Maliki's attacks on their strongholds in March 2008, which killed and injured hundreds of Sadrist supporters.
Abdel-Mahdi is also supported by Allawi's Iraqiya party, which has an edge of just two seats in parliament over al-Maliki's State of Law coalition.
Iraqiya, which is also comprised of leading Sunni members, won 91 seats, compared to 89 for the State of Law coalition. Al-Hakim's coalition, which included the anti-American Sadrist trend, came in third, snatching 70 seats.
Since that election, which took place March 7, talks to form a government between the main political blocs have remained in disarray amid disagreement over who should head the new cabinet.
The new 325-member parliament has since held only one session, which lasted just 20 minutes.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1587128.php/Disputed-Iraqi-coalition-meets-as-country-awaits-new-government
