 Iraq's main Shia alliance has named Ibrahim al-Jafari as its candidate for prime minister in the new government, Aljazeera has learned. Al-Jafari,currently the vice president of Iraq in the interim government, is a religious Shia and head of the Islamist Dawa Party. He had faced competition from inside the alliance from former exile Ahmad Chalabi, once favoured by the Pentagon, but Chalabi withdrew and the alliance's 140 members unanimously approved al-Jafari, alliance sources said. Some of Chalabi's aides, including Qaisar Witwit, have suggested he may be offered the post of deputy prime minister in charge of economic and security affairs. "The security situation is the first matter we will address" When asked about the reported deal, Chalabi said simply: "We will see." |