Iraq Shi'ites Ponder PM Choice, Allies After Poll

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050214/ts_nm/iraq_dc&cid=564&ncid=1480

Iraq's new government will have a president and two vice- presidents -- all largely ceremonial roles -- who must be approved by two-thirds of the assembly. Once they are named, they will choose a prime minister and agree on a cabinet of ministers who must be approved by a majority in the assembly.


<snip>

The United Iraqi Alliance has several potential candidates, including Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the head of Dawa, and Adel-Abdul Mehdi, a member of SCIRI who is finance minister in the interim government. Ahmad Chalabi is also mentioned as a candidate.


At the same time, Allawi, a secular Shi'ite with a strong following in some areas of the country and good ties with the U.S. administration, is maneuvering to try to rescue his job.


One major fallout from the election is that the government which takes office in the weeks ahead may be weaker, or at least more handicapped by alliances, than was otherwise expected.


Some analysts believe that could mean the government requires buttressing from Washington, and say it could have an impact on any negotiations over when the 150,000 U.S. troops based in Iraq might start pulling out.

[Jack Rabbit]

1. BBC Link

From the BBC Online
Dated Monday February 14

Iraq Shias move to form coalition

Moves to form a new government are under way in Iraq after the announcement of full election results.

The Shia United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) says it wants to name a new prime minister after it was confirmed as winning nearly half the vote.

However the bloc will not have a parliamentary majority on its own. Kurdish groups, which came second, are seen as potential partners.

The process of forming a coalition is likely to take several weeks.

Read more.

This story has the Shias forming a coalition with the Kurds. It only mentions Allawi as finishing a distant third. This would relegate him to the status of also-ran, which is better than he deserves.

The concern may be Madhi becoming Prime Minister. Naomi Klein reports that he may be a part of a sinister plan by the neocons to frustrate the Iraqi people's desire for real sovereignty.