Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, left, receives congratulations in… (Iraqi government )
Reporting from Baghdad — Iraq's parliament finally ended a nine-month political vacuum Tuesday, confirming Prime Minister Nouri Maliki for a second term at the head of a sharply divided government whose workings will largely determine how democratic the country can become.
The last of the U.S. force that led an invasion more than seven years ago to oust Saddam Hussein and end his Baath Party's 35-year dictatorship is scheduled to leave by the end of next year. But the post-Hussein period has been defined by a political battle for primacy between Shiite and Sunni Muslims, and a civil war that nearly destroyed the nation.
The experience of the government over the next four years will show whether Maliki and his Islamic Dawa Party are interested in forging a consensus among Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties, or whether they and their Shiite Islamist allies will attempt to dominate the state at the expense of others.
Since 2008, the prime minister has appointed loyalists to posts in the army, police and intelligence services. He controls at least three security and intelligence units, according to Iraqi politicians, security officers and foreign diplomats.
"Maliki is putting in place a sort of structure which reports to him, is loyal to him over anybody else," said a diplomatic source. "That gives him a lot of power. There are other elements in the country that will try to resist that."
Maliki's rivals demanded that he give up part of his hold on the security forces as a condition of joining the government. The prime minister's supporters, however, say he is exercising powers guaranteed by the constitution.
Even if Maliki and his party seek to build a partnership with their rivals, it will be an immense challenge. All still are scarred by the Hussein years and the sectarian war that followed. The groups also harbor deep suspicions that their rivals wish to elbow them aside. Most view their ministries as a means to further their own agenda.
The unwieldy Cabinet consists of 42 members from all major parties.
"Efficacy and integrity and experience will come second after political considerations," said lawmaker Mahmoud Othman, a Kurd. "So I don't think it will be a strong government. The bigger the number [of ministries], the larger their budgets, and the more people in there, the more corruption you will have."
Maliki's government faces the challenges of resurrecting the economy, improving sputtering services and bringing security to a country where bombs still explode and assassinations occur on a daily basis.
The stakes are high, including the risk of falling back into civil war or an eventual coup by a clique within the government or military. The best-case scenario may well be that the country muddles through long enough for increased oil revenue and improved services to take hold. Given Iraq's deficits and poor infrastructure, that could take five or six years if things go relatively well.
The often dour-faced prime minister was far from upbeat in an address to the parliament. He complained that parties had failed to nominate female candidates and chastised blocs for not sending him their candidates' resumes. He described himself as being in a thankless position.
"I am sure I am not satisfying anyone. All are angry with me," he said. "I would say that this government doesn't meet the aspirations of the citizens, mine, and political blocs because it was put together in exceptional circumstances."
Maliki and former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, a secular Shiite who is popular with Sunnis, finished in a near tie in March elections. Maliki managed to cobble together a coalition in the fall that included his onetime Shiite rival, anti-American cleric Muqtada Sadr. Soon after, he secured the backing of the Kurds. Allawi's coalition, Iraqiya, agreed in November to form a national unity government.
But even as the government was approved, 10 posts were left open, including crucial ones: the ministers of interior and defense and the minister of state for national security.
Maliki's alliance is responsible for choosing an independent figure to run the Interior Ministry, and Allawi's Iraqiya is supposed to nominate an independent candidate for defense. The mistrust between the two sides was still too high for them to reach agreement on the names before parliament approved the government. Instead, Maliki will be responsible for overseeing the security ministries during the interim period, which could last anywhere from a few weeks to two months.
Other crucial ministries still to be filled include electricity, planning, and municipalities and public works. All of them have acting ministers from the bloc that is expected to run them. Maliki has three deputy prime ministers: his political ally and former Oil Minister Hussein Shahristani; Roj Nuri Shawis, a Kurd; and Saleh Mutlak, a secular Sunni politician.
