Iyad Allawi

The government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki suffered another defection Saturday, and Iraqi politicians and disillusioned citizens joined the debate about whether he should be replaced with a more secular leader. Stepping forward to present himself as the ideal candidate, former Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi hired a powerhouse Washington lobbying firm to promote him.

The victors in last month's parliamentary election indicated Monday that they were prepared to cut a secular politician backed by Washington out of the new government in favor of Iraq's main Sunni Arab slate. The pro-Western politician, former interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, did poorly in the Dec. 15 balloting despite spending heavily on a sleek television campaign.

A pair of expectant eyes peer over Iraq. On bus stops and lampposts, television screens and billboards, the ubiquitous close-up image of interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's gaze has become the central icon of his election campaign. Some voters say it symbolizes his vision for Iraq. Others infer a Big Brother message: Allawi sees all.

One day after the dominant Shiite-led coalition unanimously nominated interim Vice President Ibrahim Jafari to lead the new Iraqi government, interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said Wednesday that he would stand as a rival candidate for the job and try to build a winning bloc by reaching out to other political slates.

When Iraq's new government finally emerged last week and the nation's political heavyweights stood before the National Assembly, shaking hands and accepting congratulations, one man was noticeably absent from the stage: Iyad Allawi, who had served as prime minister since last summer. So far, Allawi has no role in the new administration.

As haggling over the formation of a new Iraqi government continued Sunday, members of the largest parliamentary bloc blamed the delay on brinksmanship by outgoing interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and predicted they would form a new administration without him. Nearly three months have passed since the National Assembly elections, and the inability of the leading slates to form a government has frustrated Iraqis. Iraqi and Western observers also say it has helped invigorate the insurgency.

This might be the last place one would expect to find support for Iyad Allawi, Iraq's former interim prime minister and a current parliamentary candidate. It was Allawi, after all, who authorized the massive, U.S.-led assault on this Sunni Arab-dominated city last year that destroyed half its buildings, displaced 150,000 people and resulted in the deaths of at least 1,200 alleged insurgents.

Three Iraqis suspected of having ties to a militant group have been charged in Germany with plotting to assassinate former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi when he visited Berlin in 2004, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday. The men are believed to be members of Ansar al Islam, an Iraqi group with fundraising and logistics networks in Europe.

One of Iraq's most prominent politicians and his entourage were pelted with rocks and shoes Sunday as they left a shrine, escalating tensions between religious and secular Shiite Muslim factions 11 days before a parliamentary election that will set the country's course for the next four years.

Earlier this week, in an attempt to reach out to constituents, Iyad Allawi threw a garden party at his Baghdad headquarters for tribal sheiks from southern Iraq. The day before, while campaigning in the holy city of Najaf, he had been pelted with shoes and rocks, and this time he was taking no chances. Protected by a ring of guards, Allawi was staying in his compound. Voters -- and those who could deliver crucial Shiite votes -- would have to come to him.