Iraqi Shi'ite politicians demand cabinet reshuffle

Members of United Iraqi Alliance after voting

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Leading members of Iraq's Shi'ite Alliance demanded a major cabinet reshuffle on Sunday as Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government struggles to quell communal violence and improve basic services.

"We demand the prime minister ... carry out a broad cabinet reshuffle, especially in the security and services portfolios," Bahaa al-Araji, a member of the United Iraqi Alliance, parliament's largest bloc, told a news conference.

Several other prominent figures from the Alliance said the government needed an overhaul.

The demand is likely to increase political tension between Iraq's parliamentary blocs, which struggled for months to agree on the allocation of cabinet posts.

Read the rest at the Washington Post

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