Iraqi Parliament news stories on Newser

Iraqis Hold 'Day of Regret'

Kevin Spak — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:12:01 CST

Iraqi protesters offered a new spin on the “day of rage” meme that’s been sweeping the Middle East. It was one year ago today that the Iraqis elected their leaders, so they instead held a “day of regret,” the Christian Science Monitor reports. Hundreds of protesters marched in Baghdad’s Tahrir...

Iraq Confirms New Government

Matt Cantor — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 08:57:31 CST

Iraqi legislators ended 9 months of political deadlock today, unanimously approving a new government under incumbent prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, the AP reports. A March parliamentary election had left the country’s political future unclear; today, lawmakers chose 29 ministers to form a government, with acting ministers making up rest of...

Sunni Bloc Walks Out on Iraqi Parliament

Kevin Spak — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 09:28:05 CST

Iraq’s political compromise didn’t last long. Ayad Allawi’s predominantly Sunni Iraqiya party walked out of a parliament session intended to unite it in a coalition government with Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law party yesterday, the New York Times reports, after it failed to force votes on some of its key...

In Secret Talks, Iran Forged Deal for Pro-Tehran Iraq

Matt Cantor — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 11:14:16 CDT

Iran was behind the recently struck deal between Nouri al-Maliki and Muqtada al-Sadr, and the result could be an Iraqi government friendly to Tehran and distanced from the West, the Guardian reports. According to the paper's sources, Syria, Hezbollah, and top Shia religious leaders were involved with a secret campaign...

Anti-US Cleric Pushes for New Iraqi Government

Kevin Spak — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:24:00 CDT

Muqtada al-Sadr took a rare step into Iraq’s political fray yesterday, meeting with Ayad Allawi in Syria to discuss the formation of a new Iraqi government. Allawi leads the Iraqiya coalition, one of two major factions vying for control of Iraq’s parliament. Sadr is nominally aligned with the other—Nouri...

Very Close Iraq Vote Prompts Challenges, Maneuvering

Kevin Spak — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:00:00 CST

Early results are coming in from Iraq’s election, and though Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition appears to have won a plurality, the race remains exceedingly close. The Iraqi National Alliance, a coalition of Shiite parties, has already called the vote counting into question, with leader Ahmed Chalabi demanding candidates be given a...

Iraqi Candidates Woo Voters With Gifts

Kevin Spak — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:30:19 CST

With Iraq’s parliamentary election fast approaching, the candidates are vying for voters' affections by showering them with gifts. One candidate recently handed out frozen chickens in a poor village near Baquba. Another in Babil Province doled out sports equipment and running shoes from China. Voters have also scored phone cards,...

Iraqi Shiites Ditch Maliki in New Coalition

Kevin Spak — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:41:00 CDT

Iraq’s major Shiite parties have formed a new coalition without Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki or his Dawa Party, they announced today. That means that unless Maliki finds new allies, he will likely lose his job following the January elections. If the new coalition wins a majority, he’ll be replaced by...

Iraqi Lawmakers End Standoff, Pick Speaker

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:15:00 CDT

Iraq ended months of political paralysis today by selecting Ayad al-Samarai as its new parliamentary speaker, the BBC reports. An even-tempered Sunni engineer, al-Samarai failed to win a big enough majority for 4 months because of fears he sought to oust Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the Los Angeles Times...