- Iraq’s prime minister for the past eight years, Nouri al-Maliki.
- Associated Press
Iraq’s departing prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, appears to have dropped his quixotic struggle to remain in power and is resigned instead to remaining a member of parliament insulated from prosecution.
Fears that Mr. Maliki might play the spoiler in the new government have largely receded since his initial reaction to the appointment of Haider al-Abadi to replace him. The night before Mr. Abadi’s appointment, Mr. Maliki called out his security forces in Baghdad in what looked like preparations for a coup.
Now Mr. Maliki meets with Mr. Abadi daily and advises him about the formation of a new cabinet, said Hussein Al-Marabi, a parliamentarian from the Shiite Islamist Fadhila Party. However other leaders of Shiite parties said Mr. Maliki doesn’t take part in the negotiations on forming a new government even though he continues to lead the powerful Shiite-dominated State of Law coalition.
“He feels bitterness about losing and it’s not easy for him to accept it,” said Ali Al Adeeb, a senior member of Mr. Maliki’s Dawa Party. “He would prefer to stay as a member of parliament and he won’t accept any other position in the new government.”
Neither Mr. Maliki nor his spokesman could be reached for comment.
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(via WSJ Blogs)
