Via VOA news this interesting development. I was under the impression that al-Jaafari was a shoe-in for the PM post. I guess I was wrong:

Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi announced he is forming his own coalition to challenge Ibrahim al-Jaafari for the prime minister's job. Mr. Al-Jaafari is one of the interim government's two vice presidents and head of the conservative Shi'ite Muslim party, Dawa.

The party won the most seats in the January elections, but still needs support from other electoral groups if it hopes to place Mr. Al-Jaafari in the prime minister's chair. Dawa has a more forthright religious orientation, while Mr. Allawi's party, the Iraqi List, is secular in tone. The minority Sunnis, in large part, boycotted the elections.

Posted by: Rusty at 05:06 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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