Rivals in Iraq's political spectrum reportedly agreed to a power-sharing agreement ensuring incumbent Prime Minster Nouri al-Maliki a second term, a government spokesman said Sunday, eight months after the inconclusive elections.
He said the agreement was reached Saturday. Under it, Jalal Talabani would continue as head of state (president) and al-Maliki as prime minister, while the Sunni Iraqiya bloc would choose its candidate for parliament speaker.
The breakthrough came after the Kurdish Alliance, with its 43 members, agreed to join the National Alliance--representing the main Shiite parties--led by al-Maliki, giving the Shia-Kurdish alliance a comfortable majority in the 325-member Parliament to form a new ministry.
Maliki became the front-runner for the Prime Minister's post after a formation led by Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, with its 43 seats, agreed to support Maliki's State of Law list (89 seats).
The spokesman said that parliament would meet Thursday to choose a speaker, the first step towards forming a national unity ministry. He said Iraqiya did not agree "for the moment" over which bloc would get the speaker's post and which one the presidency.
While confirming the agreement, former premier Iyad Allawi said his Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc's support depended on its agreement over the posts of speaker and president.
The spokesman added that both Maliki and Allawi would attend Monday a ceremony in Arbil, capital of the autonomous Iraqi region of Kurdistan and the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), to formally announce the agreement.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.