Iraqis have reached a “complete deadlock.” Nearly 10 years after the beginning of the political process, during which they headed to the polls six times, Iraqis find themselves in a closed circle, unable to break free because of the failure that plagues their political system. This has affected security, services and — most important — it has deepened the gap between the different segments of Iraqi society. This country, which has long been characterized by coexistence, had never experienced such a divide until the US invasion of Iraq in April 2003.

Americans took on the role of the impartial intermediary until December 2011 — the date of their withdrawal from Iraq. Meanwhile, political divisions intensified after the 2010 elections, which ended with the renewal of the mandate of current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, after a marathon of arduous negotiations that lasted for 10 months.

Maliki, who is seen as a candidate for the Shiite alliance, has been facing significant challenges since the first moment of the formation of his second government, which included more than 35 ministerial posts in an attempt to please all parties, including his Shiite allies.

His biggest challenge, however, was when the Sadrist movement, one of the main components of the Shiite alliance, voted to withdraw confidence from his government in 2012, with the help of the National Iraqi Alliance (NIA) led by Ayad Allawi, not to mention the great support Kurdistan Region of Iraq President Massoud Barzani showed for this move.