Iraq: Opposition plans no confidence vote against Prime Minister al-Maliki

Opposition is increasing against the attempts by Prime Minister Maliki to concentrate power and prevent any Sunni opposition. His most dramatic step has been to order the arrest of Vice President al Hashemi a Sunni on charges of supervising a death squad. Opponents say that the move is political and that Maliki is trying to monopolize power.

Dia al-Asadi who leads the al Sadr Ahrar bloc in parliament claims that his bloc is leading the fight for a no confidence vote against al-Maliki even though the bloc is part of a coalition with Maliki.

Al-Asadi said:"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 "If he hasn't, then there's a big problem because we are living in a country that needs comprehensive, fast and integrated development."

The Al Sadr bloc was aligned with the government as a way of ensuring the U.S. withdrew from Iraq. Although Al Sadr's group is Shia and has close relations with Iran he often takes a nationalist stance and has reached out to Sunnis to form a unified Iraq. Al Maliki on the other hand seems to be creating a situation with more sectarian violence. For more see this article.