A new Iraqi government that will probably take the shape of a great coalition must be supported by the Kurds. And that could constitute a small problem, for the Kurds are not as united as they used to be some time ago. A breakaway Kurdish group Gorran is expected to gain about 15 seats in the new parliament, and their loyalty to Kurdish president of Iraq Talabani can be easily questioned.

The very creation of the coalition is to be interesting too. The Sunnis whose representatives were banned from the elections (what helped the current prime minister al-Maliki) voted for former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. Even though (or perhaps exactly because of) he is a Shia, they hope he can make their status more equal with the Shias, so that all the good jobs in the state service are not exclusively assigned to the majority of the Iraqi population. It will be necessary in the long run and it could calm down the sectarian violence in this strange Middle East ,,democracy,,.

Both leaders, Allawi and al-Maliki will have to overcome mutual animosities and form a stable coalition which would be able to replace the security vacuum after the US departure. At the same time, they will have to persuade the Iraquis about the advantages of democracy, because the election turnout went sharply down. And last but not least, they will have to balance their position between the US and Iran, because even though Obama is sending his troops home from Iraq, Washington still considers the Middle East as its territory.

Milan Sebo

PHOTO: ISIFA