“Nouri al-Maliki” on The Daily Caller

Despite the fact that “the United Nations, the U.S. Embassy, and the Arab League as well as Iraqi election officials have all declared the election free of systematic fraud,” as the Associated Press points out, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is hell-bent to make sure he remains the leader of Iraq.   Two months after the March 7^th elections, voters are showing signs of frustration.  “The manual recount just delays the political process and it will destabilize the security situation,” one resident told the AP. (more)

BAGHDAD (AP) — An agreement to form an alliance between Iranian-backed Shiite blocs gives the final say on political disputes to Iraq’s top clerics, solidifying a role for the Shiite religious leadership in the country’s likely new government. (more)

BAGHDAD — A once-feared Shiite militia that was crippled two years ago by defections and a U.S.-Iraqi crackdown has quietly started to regroup, adding street muscle to the Shiite party that emerged strongest from Iraq’s parliamentary elections. (more)

Instead of bringing reconciliation to his country, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is throwing up barrier after barrier.  On Friday, he became incensed over former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi’s call for further international involvement stemming from the March 7 elections.  This, despite the fact, that Iraq’s foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, suggested intervention by the international community may be needed.  “We will not allow any foreign interference in our internal affairs that will breach our sovereignty,” Mr. Maliki said.  Breach our sovereignty?  It appears the Prime Minister is well on his way to accomplishing this himself. (more)

“We are the winners. We have won the elections. It is our constitutional duty to form the government.” This was the angry reaction of former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, the winner in last month’s Iraqi elections. The news this week that the courts disqualified 52 candidates for alleged ties to the Baath party has thrown the outcome of the vote into deeper uncertainty and heightened fears of sectarian violence. At least one of the candidates comes from Mr. Allawi’s bloc. As if that wasn’t enough, Mr. Allawi is also calling for a caretaker government to prevent any attempt to “steal the will of the Iraqi people.” His bloc has further asked for the extension of the outgoing parliament “for the purpose of monitoring the executive branch” until a new one is in place. (more)

Just days after the Iraqi court ordered a recount of the province that includes Baghdad, now comes word that former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi wants to go deeper in the process. “What worries us now, although we are committed to a manual recount and we believe in it very strongly … is why other areas have not been included,” Mr. Allawi said in remarks earlier this week. (more)

It’s official. An Iraqi court has ordered a partial recount of the March 7 election results despite assurances from the United States and United Nations that the vote was fair and free. Shortly after the elections, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called the results “unacceptable and unreasonable” and demanded a recount. The ruling is limited to the province that includes Baghdad but the Prime Minister hopes that’s enough to move him ahead of former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi in a vote that is reminiscent of the 2000 Presidential election in the United States. “Baghdad, with a total of 70 seats, was by far the biggest prize for parties competing,” according to AFP. Mr. Maliki has said he will accept the final results but the potential for Mr. Allawi to be upended has everyone on edge and fearful of looming violence. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden said Monday that the killings of the top two al-Qaida figures in Iraq are “potentially devastating” blows to the terror network there and proof that Iraqi security forces are gaining strength. (more)

The political jockeying in Iraq continues as the Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, demands neighboring countries stay out of Baghdad’s politics. “Some are talking through the media as if they were our guardians,” Mr. Maliki told The Los Angeles Times on Monday. It is reported that the Iraqi Shiite leader, Ammar al-Hakim, has met with Saudi King Abdullah to discuss “issues of mutual interest.” Other political factions in Iraq, including the Sadrists, have also met with the Saudi King, perhaps prompting Mr. Maliki’s comments. (more)

The votes are in from Muqtada al-Sadr’s Iraqi “referendum” and the winner is … neither of the front runners, former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi or current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. It’s the former interim Prime Minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, who served from 2005-06. So, why did the Sadrist movement pick Mr. al-Jaafari? (more)

Over the last few weeks, he has been called “kingmaker” in Iraqi politics.  Now, the real question looms.  Could Moktada al-Sadr be positioning himself for a future run as the Iraqi Prime Minister?  As noted in a previous column, let there be no doubt that he remains one of the most influential religious and political figures in Iraq today. “Sadr is emerging as a dominant player in deciding how Iraq’s next government will be formed,” says The Washington Post. (more)

As if things couldn’t get any more unsettling in Iraq, word came down this week that the Justice and Accountability Committee is recommending six individuals, elected to parliament in the March 7 elections on the winning ticket of former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, be dismissed. (more)

The developments in Iraq over the past 60 hours have been anything but dull. It’s always amazing what an election can do. The results, announced Friday night, have thrown the country into a state of disarray. It’s true that former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi garnered the most votes in the Parliament but the current Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, is pulling out all of the stops to make sure Allawi doesn’t get first digs at forming a government. (more)

The results from the March 7 elections were announced in Baghdad Friday night and what an upset it was.  Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi narrowly beat out current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki taking 91 seats in the Iraqi Parliament.  Maliki’s party won 89 seats.  That’s close and a severe setback for Maliki.  However, the outcome doesn’t necessarily guarantee Allawi his old job back, only allowing him to be the first to try to form a government.  Maliki did win 26 seats in the key Baghdad province, two more than Allawi. (more)

The March 7 national elections have left Iraq divided. Final results are expected today and the political jockeying is in full swing. (more)

Baghdad (AP) — With the complete results in Iraq’s election just days away, there were signs Monday the two front runners were reaching out to other political parties, signaling the start of the jockeying to form the next ruling coalition. (more)

Last July, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the American people “it is perhaps a measure of our success in Iraq that politics have come to the country.” No where is that more evident than in the ongoing vote count from the March 7 parliamentary elections. With 95 percent of the ballots tallied, former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi narrowly leads the current prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, by about 11,000 votes out of 12 million votes cast. Election officials said the results of a 100 percent preliminary count would be made public on Friday. (more)

Today marks the 7th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War and it’s quite remarkable to see just how far this country has come. In looking at the preliminary election results it’s hard not to reflect on the 2000 presidential election in the United States. It’s close and the votes are still being tallied. At one point this week, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki trailed his closest contender, former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. Now, with al-Maliki back in the lead, some 40,000 votes separate their coalitions out of 83 percent counted. He is fighting for his political life. (more)

Iraq’s Political Stalemate: Democracy’s Endgame? (more)

With more than 80% of the votes tallied in Iraq’s parliamentary elections and the race still neck and neck, hopes that the country might move beyond its deep Shiite-Sunni divide appear to be fading in a stew of sectarian politics. (more)