Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Wednesday ruled out forming a national emergency government to confront a Sunni militant offensive that has overrun large parts of the country.
Maliki’s electoral bloc won by far the most seats in April 30 parliamentary elections with 92, nearly three times as many as the next biggest party, and the incumbent himself tallied 720,000 personal votes, also far and away the most.
But he fell short of a majority in Iraq’s Council of Representatives, and has had to court the support of rivals in order to form a government.
A recent militant offensive led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, has put pressure on Maliki from both domestic opponents and overseas, with critics alleging his policies are sectarian.
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