There is a mandatory first crack at forming a government given to the alliance that has obtained the most seats in parliament (in other words, the UIA); the government is approved by a majority, not a super-majority

...

Iraqis are voting in what some say is the most important election yet. The Sunnis, who boycotted the parliamentary election in January ‘04, are expected to turn out in droves for this election. 1000 or so Sunni clerics issued fatwas urging thei...

Via the BBC: Iraqis vote in landmark election. Some factoids from the piece:
275-seat National Assembly will have four-year term
18 provinces are taken as separate constituencies
230 seats allocated according to size of population
45 seats distribut...

His position, which seems (on its face, at least) to undercut the handwringing about "religious" parties, is that he supports the elections, but doesn't endorse any particular slate, and generally thinks religion and politics should be separate!

Granted, this has a different meaning in the Iraqi context than "separation of church and state" in the modern American or European context, but it's still rather striking to me. Of course, it's also inconveniently inconsistent with Filkins' conclusions, so you don't hear about it.

This guy is just tryin' too hard.