Boost for Maliki?

Iraq's highest court has ruled that the State of Law coalition of Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is the largest parliament group, state-run Iraqiya TV reported on Monday.

The decision, if confirmed, would mean that President Fuad Masum is bound by the constitution to ask Maliki to form a new government, thus possibly allowing Maliki to retain his post as premier despite calls from many quarters for him to step aside.

Maliki is currently serving in a caretaker capacity since an election in April, in which his bloc received the most votes but fell well short of winning a majority in parliament.

The embattled premier on Monday said he would bring Masum to court for violating a constitutional deadline for nominating a prime minister. Maliki also accused the president of not respecting a constitutional provision that the nominee of the biggest parliamentary bloc should be asked to form a government.

Monday's Supreme Court decision underpins the latter accusation by Maliki, whose State of Law coalition holds some 95 of the legislative body's 328 seats - although this represents just 24 percent of the popular vote.

Emergency deployment

Maliki's accusations were broadcast in a televised speech shortly after the government deployed special forces to strategic sites around the capital, Baghdad, in apparent anticipation of anti-government protests.

The action raised concerns abroad, with US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki saying the US rejected any coercion in choosing a new Iraqi leader.

Maliki has been under intense pressure at home and abroad to relinquish his bid to retain the prime ministerial post, with critics saying that his hardline policies have alienated the Sunni minority, creating a fertile ground for the current insurgency by Sunni jihadist "Islamic State" (IS) militants.

Refugee crisis

The rebel group has rapidly captured large swaths of territory in northern Iraq since early June.

The insurgency has triggered a growing humanitarian crisis, with some 200,000 more Iraqis joining the 1.5 million people already made homeless by violence this year.

British officials estimated on Saturday that 50,000 to 150,000 people, many from the Yazidi minority sect, could be trapped on Sinjar Mountain after fleeing from the Islamist extremists.

The United States has been carrying out both airdrops to aid the refugees and airstrikes on the IS militants.

tj/se (Reuters, dpa, AFP)