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SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq — Kurdish lawmakers began Saturday to plot their course as Iraq’s kingmakers with enough seats to secure a second term for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
The Kurds emerged as the pivotal votes after al-Maliki’s Shiite-led coalition received a boost Friday from a powerful Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr. The support pushed al-Maliki close to a majority grip in the 325-seat parliament.
Eventual Kurdish support for al-Maliki is anticipated. But first the Kurds are expected to lobby for their long list of issues, including a greater say over the oil riches in the country’s north.
