An alliance of major Shi'ite parties that sidelines his election-winning cross-sectarian bloc could tip Iraq back into sectarian violence, former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said on Wednesday.
Allawi, a secular Shi'ite, said a proposed merger to form a government between Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law coalition and fellow Shi'ite bloc, the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), whose leaders have close ties to Iran, would effectively be a return to sectarian government.
What it breaks down to is this. Allawi has the single biggest block, but can't form a government because the 2nd and 3rd parties would rather ally with each other against Allawi. Allawi is complaining about this in the US press not only because he is getting unfairly cut out of the new government, but because he is trying to get the US to lean on the situation.
Each of the three largest blocks are big enough that the only practical way to form a government is an alliance between 2 of the big 3. The other two big parties are both religious Shi'ite parties that dislike Allawi's more secular party.
Jay