BAGHDAD — Iraq’s parliament has approved Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's proposal to hold legislative elections May 12. The run-up to the vote should be interesting, to say the least.

New Shiite coalitions have made it clear they want to test their popularity independent of the ruling Shiite National Alliance. The new coalitions are running four Shiite lists:

• Nasr al-Iraq (The Victory Alliance), led by Abadi
• The State of Law Coalition, led by Vice President Nouri al-Maliki
• The Fatah alliance of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), led by Hadi al-Amiri
• The Sairoon Coalition, backed by Muqtada al-Sadr, which includes the Iraqi Communist Party

A crisis had been looming over how Abadi would leave the State of Law Coalition, as he was previously registered as a candidate in the list of the Dawa Party, led by Maliki. Problems were avoided when Dawa withdrew from the elections and its members rejoined it individually. Abadi then formed his own list, which initially joined the Iran-backed PMU Fatah alliance Jan. 14. That connection surprised everyone, most notably Sadr, who described it as an “abhorrent political agreement," saying that militias becoming involved in politics will lead to corruption. Sadr had supported Abadi for a second term, believing he was capable of dissolving the PMU and limiting their influence and weapons.

However, the association between Nasr al-Iraq Coalition and the Fatah alliance lasted mere hours.