Al-Jaafri blinks

NY Times:

In a sudden reversal, embattled Iraqi prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said today that he was willing to relinquish his job, a move that could help break the political stalemate has fueled the country's bitter sectarian violence.

Despite strong opposition from the two of Iraq's three main political blocs — the Sunni Arabs and Kurds — Mr. Jaafari had refused as recently as Wednesday to even consider stepping down. But with pressure building from within his own Shiite political alliance as well as from American officials, Mr. Jaafari released a letter today stating that he would quit if Shiite officials now "deem appropriate" another candidate.

Shiite leaders are "highly likely" to choose another candidate for prime minister in the next few days, a senior Shiite alliance official said this afternoon. The candidate may come from Mr. Jaafari's Islamic Dawa Party, the official said. "There are many stories circulating and the field is opening up, but it will still likely be someone from Dawa," he said.

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The passive aggressive stance that al Jaafri has taken in the stalemate demonstrates a weakness in the Iraqi constitution. There needs to be a way to force a vote on the prime minister job, such as a confidence vote in the UK parliament. If such a vote were taken, this mess could have been resolved months ago.