Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has appeared to secure another term in office after gaining the support last week of a former foe, anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The deal signals an impending end to seven months of political gridlock following Iraq’s March election. Al-Sadr’s new prominence is likely to unnerve Iraqi Sunnis, most of whom supported al-Maliki rival Ayad Allawi, and to strain relations with the U.S. Al-Sadr, who is closely tied to Iran, is blamed by the U.S. for fomenting sectarian violence. Al-Maliki, who is still several votes shy of a parliamentary majority, is now seeking support among 57 Kurdish lawmakers. “It’s not over until it’s over,” said Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurdish member of parliament and Iraq’s foreign minister. “Things could get more complicated.”
Just when all seems “doomed,” Iraqis have a way of “rescuing their fragile, democratic political system,” said The Washington Post in an editorial. With al-Maliki likely to remain in office, Iraq appears to be inching toward “prosperity and stability.” Predictions of renewed civil war and resurgent terrorism have not come to pass. Since taking power in 2006, al-Maliki has run a “functioning government” that’s relatively independent.
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