BAGHDAD - The Iraqi National Assembly is due to reconvene on Saturday to elect the countryÂ’s new government. The post of prime minister is most likely to be determined by the assemblyÂ’s largest bloc, the United Iraqi Alliance, which holds 128 out of 275 parliamentary seats.The alliance is due to hold a meeting on Friday in which it is to announce its candidate for the post. The candidate is then due to choose the members of the next ruling government.
Political speculations on the part of parliamentary sources point to the likelihood of out-going Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, of the United Iraqi Alliance, being replaced by the second-in-command of his Islamic Daawa Party, Jawad al-Malki.
President Jalal Talbani is said to have a strong chance of holding on to his post for another four-year term. For the post of parliamentary president, Adnan al-Deleimi of the Iraqi Accord Front is being put forward as the replacement for out- going Adnan al-Pachachi.