It seems that recent talks of progress in a possible government forming between the Iraqiya and Iraqi National Alliance blocs has been greatly exaggerated, and once again it seems the blocs may all be back to square one.
As always, the issue seems to be the premiership, as the Iraqiya bloc has relaxed demands for Ayad Allawi to be prime minister but insists it must be someone of their bloc. The Iraqi National Alliance, on the other hand, is pushing for Supreme Islamic Council mainstay Adel Abdulmahdi.
At the same time, the loose coalition between the INA and State of Law appear not to have broken off entirely, with the group agreeing today that either Abdulmahdi or current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki must be supported.
But much of the INA’s leadership has already ruling out Maliki, as has Iraqiya, and this means increasingly it will be Abdulmahdi or nothing. But Iraqiya has still showed no willingness to back off its own claims to the premiership, meaning that in the end we may have a hung Iraqi parliament and a new election.
