Maliki upbeat on possible second term

BAGHDAD, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- The next meeting of the Iraqi Parliament, scheduled for Thursday, will mark a decisive step in the current political impasse, the prime minister said.

Iraq has been without a new government since an indecisive election March 7. The secular Iraqiya slate won the contest by two seats but fell well short of the 163-majority needed to form a new government alone.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is eager to secure a second term in office, said Wednesday that the next meeting of parliament would mark the beginning of a new Iraqi state and a new government.

He said the Thursday session "shall be the last station" on the process to form a government. Meetings this week were trumpeted as possible milestones in breaking the political impasse, though they failed to conclude with any major breakthroughs.

Lawmakers are divided over who should be the next prime minister, president and speaker of the Iraqi Parliament. Maliki, however, appears likely to secure a second term with growing support from Kurdish officials, a political bloc loyal to anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr and the Iranian government.

"All Iraqis must cooperate to build their homeland," the prime minister added.

If Iraq manages Thursday to secure top leadership positions, there are several legal procedures needed to be completed before an official government takes shape.