Shiite bloc names new candidate for Iraqi PM

[sabra]

Source: AP

BAGHDAD — A powerful Iranian-backed Shiite bloc put forward its own candidate for prime minister Friday, further complicating Iraq's fractured political scene as the country stumbled into month six without a new government.

The March 7 parliamentary vote produced no clear winner, setting up a contentious fight between the Sunni-backed bloc of Ayad Allawi and the Shiite prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law coalition. Allawi narrowly defeated al-Maliki in the vote, but both men claim they have the mandate to form a new government.

The Iraqi National Alliance, a wide-ranging Shiite religious alliance, added a third man to the political wrangling on Friday by naming Adel Abdul-Mahdi, Iraq's Shiite vice president, their candidate for the job.

The INA is currently in a shaky coalition with al-Maliki's State of Law bloc, primarily because some figures within the Alliance are fiercely opposed to al-Maliki keeping his post. However, by putting forward their own candidate, the INA is not seeking to break up the alliance with the State of Law, but rather to extend the negotiation process and pressure the party to dump al-Maliki as its candidate.

"This is all really an attempt by INA to put pressure on State of Law to throw al-Maliki under the bus," said Joost Hiltermann, an Iraq analyst at the International Crisis Group. "That will only happen when State of Law has no other choice."

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[Common Sense Party]

1. I had a Shiite bloc once

Very uncomfortable. Ex-Lax took care of it.

:hide:






Sorry, the term "Shiite bloc" just struck my juvenile mind as funny. I apologize for my insensitivity.