Still getting ready to sing

Anti-Kurd hardliner Osama al Nujaifi has been elected Speaker of the parliament in Baghdad, but then he and the rest of Iraqqiya walked out, apparently in protest against the treatment of some of its former Baathist members.  Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani has been voted back into the Presidency, which however has lost the veto and is now almost entirely ceremonial.  Its one substantial function is to designate a prime minister; Talabani almost immediately named Maliki, who gets a month to put together a government. 

Allawi and Maliki reportedly sat together in parliament as a sign of solidarity, which won’t mean much in light of the subsequent walk-out.

Still no naming of ministers, or other devilish details like precisely what Allawi has been promised on the national security front.

No need yet to take your seats for the finale.  The scruffily bearded guy won’t sing until the ministerial nominations are ready, which could still be weeks away.

Iraqi parliament convenes in 1st steps to new govt – Yahoo! News.