Six months have passed since Iraq held national elections, but reports say there still appears to be little concrete progress in talks toward forming a government.
No political group won an outright majority in the March 7 election, as Iraqis split their votes between two main Shi'ite-led blocs, Kurdish parties, and a cross-sectarian secular alliance that won significant Sunni support.
Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's Sunni-backed secular Al-Iraqiyah list won the most seats -- 91 -- but the group has been unable to secure a governing deal with incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led State of Law alliance, which finished second with 89 seats, or any other factions.
As the impasse continues, reports quote ordinary Iraqis as being concerned that not enough government attention is being paid to security issues or the delivery of services.
compiled from agency reports