New Iraqi parliament to convene for first time next week, choosing president is first task

New Iraqi parliament to convene next week

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s newly elected parliament will convene for the first time next week, even as rival political factions remain deadlocked over who will lead the next government.

President Jalal Talabani will call the first session for June 14, said his spokesman Nasser al-Ani. His official order is expected as early as Tuesday. The lawmakers’ first task is to elect a new Iraqi president and the key post of parliament speaker.

“It has been decided by the president that the first session will be held next Monday,” al-Ani told The Associated Press.

Under Iraq’s constitution, Talabani had faced a deadline to seat parliament by June 15.

But it’s unlikely that political alliances vying to control the 325-seat legislature will have resolved roadblocks for selecting a new prime minister and top Cabinet posts.

None of Iraq’s major political coalitions captured an outright majority in the March 7 elections, leaving the country without a clear winner.

That has set off scrambling by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other politicians to join forces with rival alliances and secure enough seats to control parliament and, in turn, the future government.

It could still take weeks, or even months, for parliament to choose new leaders. The lack of clear leadership in the already fragile democracy has fostered fears that extremist groups may incite violence by exploiting security gaps as tens of thousands of U.S. military forces prepare to head home.

The secular Sunni-dominated Iraqiya alliance won 91 parliamentary seats in the election — two more than al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition. Al-Maliki has since teamed up with others to build a Shiite alliance with 159 parliament altogether, just four short of a majority.

In turn, the new president will task the legislature’s largest political bloc with forming the new government. But the definition of the largest bloc is hotly debated, and likely will be the next battle between Iraqiya and al-Maliki’s faction.

Iraqiya leaders have claimed they should have the first crack at forming the government because they won the most seats on balloting day. But a March court opinion opened the door to the possibility that the largest bloc could be one created after the election through negotiations — meaning that if the super-Shiite coalition holds together, it could have the right to form the government.

Meeting Tuesday morning with some his alliance’s lawmakers, Iraqiya leader and former prime minister Ayad Allawi called on parliament to make what he called “correct decisions” in creating the new government.

“The battle will be hard between powers who believe in democracy and powers who believe in oppression.” Allawi said. “It will not be over in day or two.”

Associated Press Writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Sinan Salaheddin contributed to this report.