BAGHDAD, April 20 (UPI) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari agreed Thursday to step down, breaking a deadlock that has stalled the formation of a government.
The parliamentary stalemate has contributed to the violence that has killed hundreds of people in recent weeks.
Political leaders must now select a prime minister who can unite the disparate factions in the country. The United Iraqi Alliance spent much of the day Thursday caucusing in an effort to select a candidate, The New York Times reported.
Jaafari became prime minister by a single vote with support from the controversial cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. The choice angered Kurds, Sunnis and some Shiites. More recently, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice let Iraqi officials know that he was not acceptable to the United States.
In a letter to the alliance, Jaafari left them the possibility of re-nominating him, but that course appears unlikely.
"I believe that we will succeed in forming the national unity government the people are waiting for," acting Speaker Adnan Pachachi said.
