FILE PHOTO: Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki gestures as he arrives to vote during Iraq's provincial council elections, at a polling station in Baghdad, Iraq, December 18, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad/File Photo
BAGHDAD (Reuters) -Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki remains a potent force in Iraqi politics despite long-standing accusations that he fuelled sectarian strife and failed to stop Islamic State from seizing large areas of the country a decade ago.
As leader of the influential State of Law, a Shi'ite Muslim coalition, he is seen as having enough clout to decide who will become Iraq's next prime minister after a parliamentary election on November 11.
