Iraq’s parliament failed on Sunday to break a political deadlock that is holding up the formation of a new government to tackle an Islamist-led insurgency raging less than 50 miles (80 km) from Baghdad.
After a brief session, parliamentary officials put off until Tuesday efforts to reach agreement between Shi’ite, Sunni and Kurdish politicians on the posts of prime minister, president and parliamentary speaker.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, whose State of Law coalition is the largest individual list in parliament, is seeking a third term but faces opposition from Sunnis and Kurds who say he has ruled for the Shi’ite majority at the expense of minority communities. Even rival Shi’ite parties want to unseat him.
The political impasse has been given added urgency by the Islamist-led insurgency which swept through Sunni provinces of northern Iraq last month, encouraging Maliki’s opponents to try to force his departure.
Bomb attacks struck the capital and its outskirts after the inconclusive session.
A blast near a busy street in the southwestern district of Bayaa killed three people and wounded seven, police and hospital sources said. In Yusifia, 15 km (10 miles) south of the capital, a bomb went off near a crowded market, killing another three people, medics and police said.
