After Iraq elections, Iran plays key role in government formation

Now is when everything is decided. Although Iraq's parliamentary elections placed the outgoing prime minister's coalition at the top of the results, there's no guarantee he can keep his position.After the assembly is formed, it's time for negotiations to form a government. Following the last election in 2021, the largest faction — Moqtada Sadr's — ultimately threw in the towel after failing to reach a broad enough agreement with other parties, paving the way nearly a year later for Mohammad Shia al-Sudani to take power, backed by the pro-Iranian Shiite Coordination Framework.This year, Nouri al-Maliki emerges as the main rival to the outgoing leader, with Sadr having decided to boycott the elections. So what are the prospects for the country now?Decline of Iranian influence?While Sudani's Alliance for...