What lies ahead in Iraq: the hard task of forming a government

Following Iraq's parliamentary election this week, the complex and often lengthy task of choosing the country's next leader is set to begin.

Incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani claimed victory for his coalition after preliminary results showed it was the largest bloc -- though it still falls short of the majority needed to form a government.

Sudani now faces the tough quest of securing support from other parties, mostly from the Shiite majority, in his bid for a second term.

With no single bloc dominating the next parliament, key parties could spend weeks or even months negotiating alliances to build the largest bloc and nominate the next premier.

Sudani was brought to power in 2022 by the Coordination Framewo

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