Absent Allawi May Be Biding His Time

So far, Allawi has no role in the new administration. Though his slate won 40 seats in the election for the assembly, he has skipped most of the body's meetings and left the country during much of the negotiations to form a government. "Where's Allawi?" has become a common refrain among politicians, journalists and citizens who cast ballots in the Jan. 30 vote.

"If Allawi doesn't want to take part, it's his business," said Jawad Maliky, a key negotiator with the Shiite Muslim-dominated United Iraqi Alliance, which controls slightly more than half the seats in the 275-member assembly.

Before the election, Allawi campaigned throughout Iraq, had posters of himself displayed everywhere and regularly appeared on TV. Nowadays, the onetime CIA-backed opposition fighter avoids the media and rarely gives interviews.

Last week he issued a brief statement announcing his resignation and congratulating the new president and vice presidents, but made no mention of his replacement, Ibrahim Jafari, a member of the United Iraqi Alliance and leader of the Islamic Dawa Party.

Allawi's critics say he is bitter that he wasn't offered the prime minister's job in the new government. They say his refusal to accept a lesser role has left his slate -- which came in third in the election -- out in the cold, with no key leadership post.

Negotiations are underway to award some Cabinet positions to members of Allawi's camp, but the presidency, the two vice presidential posts and the top assembly jobs are taken.

"At one point, we could have talked about giving him one of the other positions, but he wasn't around. Now it's too late," said Fuad Masoum, a leading Kurdish negotiator and assembly member.

The Kurds, who control 27% of the assembly seats, had been eager to include Allawi, a Shiite, because he shared their commitment to a secular government. The United Iraqi Alliance, which has formed a coalition with the Kurds, supports a stronger role for religion.

U.S. officials hoped Allawi, a longtime ally of Washington, would emerge as an influential player and counter pressure from Islamists in the new government.