Iran-backed bloc tries to take power in Iraq

Iraq’s Shia Muslim parties have formed a parliamentary alliance that will keep the country’s Sunni minority out of power and could spark a new round of sectarian violence.

Two months after landmark elections, the State of Law party of Nouri al-Maliki, the Prime Minister, and the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), which is dominated by Moqtadr al-Sadr, the radical cleric, announced that they would jointly form a new government. The deal was apparently put together with the help of the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, which maintains close ties with Shia political parties. They expect to have a narrow majority in parliament.

The winner of the election, Ayad Allawi, the former Prime Minister, denounced the new alliance and warned that violence may result. His group won the vote count in the March elections, but it is the largest bloc in parliament that is allowed to try to form a government first. Though a secular Shia himself, Mr Allawi represents the Sunni community.

Iraq remains split along sectarian lines, with the Shias, who were oppressed under the Sunni rule of Saddam Hussein, firmly in charge now. Before the election, and even after it, there were hopes that a cross-sectarian alliance might bridge the divide.

Times Online