It ain't over 'till...maybe never
Iraq's New Government May Take Weeks to Be Formed
Fri Mar 4, 2005 02:46 PM ET
By Khaled Yacoub Oweis
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - More than a month after Iraq's historic election, ethnic and sectarian divisions have stymied efforts to form a government, deepening political uncertainty and delaying badly needed reconstruction.
The divisions and political horse-trading among Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims and Kurds have prevented a new 275-member national assembly from meeting and a prime minister from being chosen.
The parliament elected in a Jan. 30 vote is supposed to name a government and write a constitution before dissolving and new elections being held by the end of the year.
But so far Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, proposed as prime minister by the Shi'ite bloc that won half the seats in parliament, has been unable to secure enough votes in the assembly to get the job.
Jaafari is challenged by pro-American interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, with 40 seats, and both men are seeking the support of the Kurds, who have emerged as the potential kingmakers.
