Hakim, Hashimi discuss coalition gov’t

Iraq’s vice president has talked with the head of one of the country’s top political parties about a national consensus for the formation of a government.

Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi discussed the latest developments in Iraq’s political landscape with the head of the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), Ammar al-Hakim on Saturday.

They reviewed the role of all political parties in the formation of a coalition government following the closely-contested March 7 parliamentary elections in which the al-Iraqiya Alliance, headed by Iyad Allawi, led his Rule of Law coalition by a narrow margin.

Hashimi and Hakim agreed that all sectors of Iraqi society should be represented in the new government.

This comes after Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of the Islamic Dawa Party entered into an agreement with the INA to create a new parliamentary bloc, a move, which took place after no single group managed to win a majority in the March elections.

Iraqi leaders have made an effort to reach an agreement on the formation of a coalition government after the latest polls failed to determine the future government in the country.