Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says he will file a legal complaint against the country's new president for committing "a clear constitutional violation."
Al-Maliki made the announcement in a surprise speech late yesterday night, plunging the government into a political crisis at a time it is battling advances by Islamic State militants.
Al-Maliki, whose coalition won the most seats in April elections, is accusing the new president Fouad Massoum of neglecting to name a prime minister from the country's largest parliamentary bloc by yesterday's deadline. He says the president has violated the constitution "for the sake of political goals."
Al-Maliki, speaking on Iraqi TV for the first time since American forces launched airstrikes and humanitarian airdrops in Iraq last week, says the security situation will only worsen, and "bad consequences" will result from Massoum's actions.
