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Signs of Division in al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Arbil, Asharq Al-Awsat- Informed sources have revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that there are signs of divisions within the State of Law coalition that is led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. The sources revealed that two important figures within the State of Law coalition intends on withdrawing from al-Maliki’s coalition after they had confirmed that they will “not obtain positions in the forthcoming government” as the State of Law coalition “will not be the initiator and key player in forming the [next] government.’

The sources also confirmed that the Iraqiya bloc that is led by former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has been “very successful in negotiating with other blocs, including the Kurdish blocs, and that Rafi al-Issawi, the chief negotiator [for the Iraqiya bloc] played a major role in the success of these negotiations.”

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the Iraqiya bloc that is led by Allawi are benefiting from the negotiations now, whilst on the other hand the insistence of the outgoing [Prime Minister] al-Maliki to retain the premiership for a second term greatly weakened his argument in the negotiations that were taking place with the other blocs.”

The sources, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, also confirmed that “the figures that will announce their withdrawal from the State of Law coalition will either join other coalitions, or they will announce that they will remain independent in the hope of being granted posts such as independent deputies.”

However Khaled al-Asadi, a senior member in al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition denied the existence of any division within the coalition, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that “many discussions take place within the State of Law coalition regarding the political movement that is taking place to form a new government, but this does not necessarily mean that this will lead to division.”

In addition to this, Massoud Barzani, the President of the Kurdistan Region held a meeting with the leaders of the Kurdish blocs that won parliamentary seats at the Iraqi elections in order to confer on the latest developments in Iraq and unify the Kurdish discourse in Baghdad.