Newly elected Iraqi legislators, unable to even determine which alliance of parties holds the most seats, on Sept. 4 postponed their vote on a new speaker until Sept. 15. The constitution calls for electing a speaker before a new government can be formed.

The main Shiite forces in the country are fighting over the post of prime minister, indicating a potential row between the pro-Iran side and the one supported by the United States.

On the US side, two bodies — the Nasr coalition led by current Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and the Sairoon party led by Islamist cleric Muqtada Sadr — announced Sept. 2 that they had formed a partnership with 180 members, making them the largest group eligible to form the government; 165 seats are needed for a majority.

Within hours, however, the rival pro-Iran group led by Vice President Nouri al-Maliki and Badr Organization militia leader Hadi Ameri announced they had secured the votes of 145 parliament members, and claimed some of them had defected from the Abadi-Sadr grouping, possibly removing this coalition's stated majority.