Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Could Resign Soon

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is giving signals that he absolutely will not seek a second term in the future Iraqi election, and could even resign if a government shakeup takes place. In a Wall Street Journal interview, al-Maliki, expresed both frustration and fatigue at his job.

Renewed sectarian conflict in the wake of the badly botched execution of Saddam Hussein may cause events to move along even faster and force al-Maliki to resign very soon. Shiite hardliners could make a real grab for total power in this event, although a slight hope is that a coalition of moderates from the Iraqi parliament could still form a ruling coalition. But with sectarian frictions and conflict at an increasing level, the lack of support for a moderate coalition government by influential leading Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani, the chances for any moderate government emerging in Iraq are dimming considerably.