Alliance blocks formation of new Iraqi government
An Iran-backed minority alliance has caused delays, and the process of creating a new Iraqi government may take many months.
BAGHDAD — Iraq is witnessing a political deadlock following the parliament's third failure to select a president.
The largest parliamentary bloc, Saving the Homeland — which consists of the Shiite Sadrist Movement, the Sunni coalition of Sovereignty and the Kurdistan Democratic party — has failed to collect the two-thirds of parliament members required for selecting the president. On the other side, Iran-backed groups, which consists of the Shiite Coordination Framework, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and a small number of Sunni members, were able to form a blocking third, making it impossible to select the president without their agreement.
