A new split clouded protracted efforts to form a national unity government in Iraq, this time between the ousted Sunni Arab elite and secularist supporters of former premier Iyad Allawi.
Allawi, whose bloc holds 25 seats in the 275-member parliament, has made a bid for one of the two vice president posts, angering the main Sunni grouping, the National Concord Front.
The Front has 44 seats in parliament and holds one of the vice presidencies in the outgoing government.
"Allawi is our candidate for the vice president and we will also announce a candidate for the deputy prime minister's post once the prime minister is fixed by the Shiite alliance," Rassim al-Awadi, a senior leader with Allawi's group told AFP.
He said the Sunnis had reservations about Allawi's candidacy, because "they say the two vice presidencies are meant for Shiite and Sunni candidates".
"We do not agree with such sectarian sharing. Nothing in the constitution says that the posts should be shared like this. We are Iraq, not Lebanon," Awadi said.
Zhafer al-Ani, spokesman of the National Concord Front confirmed the group had reservations about the nomination of Allawi, a pro-Western secular Shiite.
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