His re-election is likely to complicate a compromise solution to a long-standing dispute with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over oil policy.
Maliki has vehemently opposed attempts by the autonomous region to gain control of its fledgling oil industry including independent crude exports via Turkey.
The challenge now facing Maliki's Shia-led bloc is to build a ruling coalition amid escalating violence by Sunni Arabs and the unresolved oil dispute with the Kurds.
Maliki's
