Shiites gain most seats, but cannot govern alone

The announcement of results launched a period of tough bargaining among three factions.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Shiite religious parties captured the biggest number of parliament seats in last month's election but not enough to govern without partners, according to results released Friday.
Sunni Arabs scored major gains, opening the door to a greater role in government for the community at the heart of the insurgency.
The announcement by the election commission launched a period of tough bargaining among Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish factions to form a government, which U.S. officials hope can win the trust of the disaffected Sunni Arab minority so U.S. and other foreign troops can go home.
"We encourage them, and the rest of the world encourages them, to work together, to work across lines, to work across whatever divisions may exist in society," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday.
U.S. hopes were buoyed by a threefold increase in the number of Sunni Arabs in parliament, a move that increases their chances for important posts in the new government. Many Sunni Arabs boycotted the January 2005 election, enabling Shiites and Kurds to dominate the government -- sharpening sectarian tensions and fueling the insurgency.
Parliament must convene
After the results are ratified in about two weeks, President Jalal Talabani has 15 days to convene parliament, which must choose a new president within a month. The new president designates a prime minister from the Shiite bloc, who must present his Cabinet to parliament for approval within a month.
The Shiites need only a majority in parliament to approve their prime minister, but a higher threshold to elect a president means they need more partners to govern smoothly.
"Iraq is in a very delicate situation and has problems with foreign forces, so we need a government of national unity that should include the Shiite list, Kurdish coalition and the Sunnis," Kurdish politician Mahmoud Othman said.
However, the results of the Dec. 15 balloting also affirmed the power of religiously based politics in a country wracked by sectarian violence. An avowedly sectarian ticket headed by Ayad Allawi lost seats, although the former interim prime minister himself won election. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi, a sectarian Shiite once seen as America's choice to rule after Saddam Hussein, failed to win a seat.
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