Nouri al-Maliki steps down in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP)

Iraq’s Nouri al-Maliki has given up his post as prime minister to Haider al-Abadi, state television reported today — a move that could end a political deadlock that plunged Baghdad into uncertainty as the country fights a Sunni militant insurgency.

The Iraqiya television network said al-Maliki has “relinquished the post of prime minister.” It did not elaborate. Afak television, al-Maliki’s private network, ran a bulletin saying “al-Maliki joins the greatest men of history by giving up posts.”

The announcement comes ahead of an address al-Maliki is due to make later this evening, according to the government.

Iraq’s President Fouad Massoum named al-Abadi on Monday to form the next government, but al-Maliki had until now refused to step aside.

Al-Maliki has been struggling for weeks to stay for a third four-year term as prime minister amid an attempt by opponents to push him out, accusing him of monopolizing power and pursuing a fiercely pro-Shiite agenda that has alienated the Sunni minority.

But in a meeting of his Dawa party on this evening, al-Maliki agreed to endorse al-Abadi as the next prime minister, two senior lawmakers from his State of Law parliamentary bloc — Hussein al-Maliki and Khalaf Abdul-Samad — told the AP. They and two other Shiite lawmakers said al-Maliki would announce his endorse in his speech tonight. The two other lawmakers spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door meeting.

The lawmakers said al-Maliki also agreed to drop a suit before the constitutional court challenging al-Abadi’s nomination.