Sadrists lose faith in Iraq's Maliki

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BAGHDAD, June 22 (UPI) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki lacks the political vision to lead an effective administration in Baghdad, a lawmaker allied with a key Shiite cleric said.

Speaker of the Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi said Thursday at a news conference that lawmakers will submit a request for inquiry against Maliki, adding the Parliament would then decide whether to move to a non-confidence vote.

When U.S. forces left the country in December, Maliki issued an arrest warrant for Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi on charges of overseeing a death squad. Maliki's opponents, meanwhile, said he's monopolizing power in Baghdad.

Dia al-Asadi, head of the Ahrar bloc in the Iraqi Parliament, told political reporting Web site Niqash that his organization was getting behind the no-confidence effort despite the alliance with Maliki's majority political alliance.

"Our main concern is that Maliki doesn't have a plan to administer the country. And if he has, then we want to know about it," he said. "If he hasn't, then there's a big problem because we are living in a country that needs comprehensive, fast and integrated development."

Ahrar is the political arm of the Sadrist movement, led by influential Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr. Asadi said his group was aligned with ruling parties because of shared opposition to the U.S. military presence in the country.