Maliki faces test in January election

BAGHDAD, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki faces a tough challenge from Shiite rivals as he embarks on a campaign for a second term in office.

Maliki led his State of Law coalition to a sweeping victory in provincial elections earlier this year, trouncing many of his Shiite rivals. In the January parliamentary elections, he squares off against his Shiite rivals in the broad-based and newly formed Iraqi National Alliance.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari unveiled the INA in August, saying the coalition would push a broad agenda for social services and national reconciliation. The INA includes members of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, supporters of radical cleric Moqtada Sadr and Sunni factions from the western province of Anbar.

Maliki was asked to join INA, but his advisers say the premier will invite independent Sunni and Shiite lawmakers to join his State of Law coalition in the January contest instead.

Apart from the rivalry among influential Shiite leaders, a battle over a draft election law is set to complicate political matters in Baghdad, notes the Iraqi analytical Web site Niqash.

Lawmakers are considering a draft election law that considers an open slate system. Maliki and his supporters back the measure, while INA favors a closed system.

Meanwhile, Maliki faces direct challenges from some of the leading figures in Iraqi politics, including Vice President Abdul Adel Mehdi, former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and Ahmed Chalabi.

Iraqi parliamentary elections are scheduled tentatively for Jan. 16.