On Aug. 26, the Federal Supreme Court in Iraq announced its decision to invalidate the law issued by parliament preventing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki from running for a third term following next year's general elections.

The decision did not come as a surprise given Maliki's influence within the federal court, not to mention that this parliamentary law invalidates an earlier decision by the supreme court which limited parliament's legislative power.

The court based its decision on its previous interpretation of the constitution, which states that all draft laws ought to be referred to parliament by the president of the republic or the prime minister to gain constitutional status. Since the law was passed without prior consultation with the government, it is deemed to be in contradiction with the provisions of the constitution.

This decision comes within the context of a counterattack launched by Maliki against his opponents, following a series of developments that had weakened his political standing. The results of the provincial elections that took place in April have limited his political influence, as his State of Law Coalition failed to secure the same number of seats it had won during the local elections in 2009.