Allawi Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said Friday that the formation of an Iraqi government was near, four months after an inconclusive election threw the fledgling democracy into its latest political stalemate.
“We hope to form the government in August,” said Mr. Allawi, whose secular and Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc narrowly won the most seats in the March 7 vote. “The negotiations between the political groups entered their last phase, and we wish to close this file as soon as possible.”
Mr. Allawi made the comments in Beirut after meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
While several questions remain unresolved — among them, who will be the next prime minister — any governing coalition is expected to include Mr. Allawi’s bloc; incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law alliance; the Iranian-aligned Iraqi National Alliance (INA); and the Kurdish alliance. Combined, the four parties won 293 out of the 325 seats in the Iraqi parliament.
After the election, Mr. al-Maliki’s group merged with the third-place INA, giving the super-bloc 159 seats — four shy of a majority. Since then, Mr. al-Maliki and Mr. Allawi have argued over who has the right to lead the next government.
Last weekend, Vice President Joe Biden urged Iraq’s leaders to end the impasse on a visit to Baghdad.
© Copyright 2012 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
By Seth McLaughlin - The Washington Times
By Richard W. Rahn
Budget fantasy won't help us cope with coming fiscal disaster
By Ben Wolfgang - The Washington Times
If some Arizona lawmakers get their way, George Carlin’s “Seven Words” routine could be updated ...
By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times
The FDA has won its two-year fight to shut down an Amish farmer who was ...
By Anthony McCartney - Associated Press
Whitney Houston was under water and apparently unconscious when she was pulled from a Beverly ...
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Children around the globe are too often silent. From victims of abuse - physical, mental, and sexual to those whose lives embrace joy, their stories are many and need to be heard.
Join along as a George Washington University student immerses himself into Madrid’s food, arts, cultural and social life as he quests for total Spanish enculturation.
The “Silver Tsunami” created by aging Baby Boomers is hitting America. Let’s explore how we adjust to it, enjoy it and defy negative expectations about age.
CPAC 2012
26 Photos
CPAC opens in Washington
29 Photos
State of the District
8 Photos
Police raid Occupy D.C. camp
13 Photos
Potomac Phil makes stuffy debut
11 Photos
Romney wins Florida primary
8 Photos
Police stop Occupy D.C. sleepovers
13 Photos
Exiles want Republicans to free Cuba
21 Photos
