Iraq, the Netherlands thanks you. No longer do the Dutch own the unwanted distinction of going the longest period after parliamentary elections without being able to form a government.

 

Back in 1977, the Netherlands took 207 days. So far in 2010, Iraqis have spent 209 days with no new government, following the March 7 elections that produced accusations of fraud but no clear winner. Former prime minister Ayad Allawi’s Iraqiya bloc, which won 91 seats, and Shiite incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law bloc, which won 89, have negotiated on and off over the last six months without coming to an agreement on sharing power.

 

The Iraqi situation has been an embarrassment to the United States’ attempt to showcase Iraq as a beacon of democracy in the Middle East.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Iraq Breaks Record for Longest Time with No Government (by Leila Fadel, Washington Post)