BAGHDAD, April 21 (UPI) -- The Shiite Unified Iraqi Coalition said three candidates are being screened for prime minister to replace embattled candidate Ibrahim al-Jaafari.
Coalition member Hassan Saari said Friday that among the three candidates, Daawa Party leader Jawad Maliki stood the best chance to be nominated to form the long-delayed government.
He said in addition to the Daawa Party, Maliki was backed by the movement of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr. The other two candidates were Ali Adib and Haidar Abadi.
Saari said the Shiite Coalition, the largest bloc in parliament, will reach a final decision on the candidate for prime minister Saturday morning, before parliament convenes in the early afternoon.
Jaafari, who is also outgoing prime minister, announced in a televised speech late Thursday that he was pulling out from the race, leaving it up to the Coalition to designate another candidate.
Jaafari's candidacy was opposed by the Kurdish Alliance and the Arab Sunni Consensus Front who threatened to team up to make the biggest bloc in parliament and form the new government.
The last hours were marked by tough competition between the various political blocs over the seven top posts, notably the president of the republic and his two deputies, parliamentary speaker and his two deputies.
Acting speaker Adnan Pachachi postponed a parliamentary session that was supposed to take place Thursday until Saturday to give the Shiite Coalition led by Abdel Aziz al-Hakim time to nominate a new candidate for prime minister.
Parallel to the political breakthrough, violence continued in Iraq Friday as nine policemen were injured in three separate explosions.
The three blasts targeted police patrols in different parts of Baghdad and inflicted material damage to shops and buildings.
