In the month since Iraq's May 12 parliamentary elections, leaders of various political coalitions, or "lists" as they're called, have been negotiating to form larger alliances to gain legislative power. On June 12, leaders of two of the largest electoral lists, Sairoon and Fatah, announced that they had established an alliance, which will help shape the future of Iraqi politics. The leader of Sairoon, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, noted that his group's previously announced alliances with the Hikma list and Vice President Ayad Allawi's Wataniya list still stand.
Together, Sairoon and Fatah (led by politician and militia leader Hadi al-Amiri) won the most seats in the May 12 elections. If their new alliance, which currently holds a combined 142 seats, can add another 23 seats from the other dozen or so lists, they would have a parliamentary majority....
