Leila Fadel, Baghdad bureau chief for McClatchy Newspapers, writes that many Iraqi political groups may be prematurely declaring electoral victory. She may also be shrewd about the pattern that is emerging:
Despite Maliki’s role as a Shiite Islamist he’s been able to recast himself as a nationalist in the past year. He’s the only Shiite Islamist with some Sunni support as well as Shiite support. If indeed he has swept positions in provinces across the nation we are likely to see a government that morphs into a very strong central state versus a group of federalist states with a weak central government.
Secularism and nationalism are preferable to Jihadism and sectarianism. But they are not wihout their own dangers. In a fractious state like Iraq, unused to civil discourse and accommodation, the temptation for the first national ruler with real power to turn authoritarian is real. That wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world and it’s better than Saddam but it’s worth being clear about what is and is not practicable.
The Dish 