Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki announces he will step aside in favour of Haider al-Abadi, state TV says.
#Breaking: I'm leaving my post to not let one Iraqi blood drop be shed because of me – Nuri al-Maliki
— Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) August 14, 2014
Four senior Shiite lawmakers say Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki has agreed to endorse Haider al-Abadi as the next Prime Minister following a meeting of Dawa party members in Baghdad, ending the current deadlock.