Since losing the March parliamentary elections in Iraq, Maliki has refused to acknowledge growing calls for him to step down. Mr. Allawi’s al-Iraqiya list won the majority of seats in parliament and is legally tasked with forming the new government.
“In the event that al-Iraqiya’s rights are trampled upon, democracy would be history in Iraq,” Allawi warned.
“Depriving us of our legitimate right [to form a government] under any pretext … is to declare hostility towards Iraqi democracy.”
In an interview with the London-based Arabic daily Asharq al-Awsat on Sunday, Dr. Allawi condemned “plots and accusations” against the Iraqiya list, saying that calling the coalition “Baathist” or “Sunni” is part of a misinformation campaign.
“If Maliki insists on holding onto power, I think the country would move into chaos and perhaps we will face an undemocratic backlash.”
The parties tied to Maliki and Ammar Hakim should shelve talks about a coalition, Dr. Allawi said, because the creation of a new government has been delayed for more than six months. “Like any dictatorship, all these developments signal the monopolization of rights in Iraq,” he added.
Allawi also insisted on al-Iraqiya’s right to form the next government as the winning coalition and said foreign powers will not succeed in imposing their will on Iraqis, in a veiled reference to the Iranian regime.