Iraqi prime minister faces the boot

Parliament members are seeking to oust Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki with a no-confidence vote, the Parliament speaker said Thursday. Speaker of the Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi said Thursday at a news conference lawmakers will submit a request for inquiry against al-Maliki, adding the Parliament would then decide to move to a non-confidence vote. "Prime Minister al-Maliki's inquiry is constitutional and is supported by documents. … The political blocs are looking seriously into the issue of the no-confidence motion," said al-Nujaifi. Xinhua said Thursday opposition politicians from the Sunni-backed Iraqia bloc, the Kurdish coalition, the Ahrar bloc loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr and independents were determined to put an end to al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government's policies, perceived as contrary to the democratic process in the country.