The Wall Street Journal quotes Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Fellow Ramzy Mardini on the election of a speaker to Iraq’s parliament:
But by gambling to elect a leadership in a public forum rather than waiting to complete lengthy negotiations in private, Iraq’s politicians started the clock on a process they may not be able to complete on time, said Ramzy Mardini, an Iraq expert at the Washington-based Atlantic Council.
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Mr. Maliki has repeatedly stated that he won’t leave office while pointing to the plurality of votes he managed to win in the parliamentary elections in late April. If parliament manages to rout Mr. Maliki without a deal, the two-term prime minister might decide to stand his ground, Mr. Mardini said.
“It could either force a transition of power or backfire and lead to a constitutional crisis,” he said.