Baghdad ( CNN ) -- As the last U.S. soldiers exited Iraq Sunday and debate was raging about the nation 's future , political crisis erupted in Baghdad that raised fears of more sectarian strife to come . Iraqiya , a powerful political bloc that draws support largely from Sunni and more secular Iraqis , said it was boycotting parliament , a move that threatens to shatter Iraq 's fragile power-sharing government . The move pits the largely Sunni and secular coalition against the government of Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki . Iraqiya contends al-Maliki is trying to amass dictatorial power and many believe al-Maliki was simply waiting for the Americans to leave before making his move . It all makes for burgeoning political chaos and raises serious questions about whether democracy and human rights can take root in the war-ravaged nation . `` The only country that makes U.S. politics look like a picnic is Iraq , '' said Christopher Hill , the former U.S. ambassador in Baghdad . Al-Maliki , Hill said , is a man who perceives concessions as weakness . He 's a tough guy who knows what he 's doing , Hill said . He managed to forge relationships with the Kurds and peel off some Sunni support to build the majority he needed to put together a government , Hill said . But whether he is the man to unify Iraq , to lead it now , without American presence , is uncertain . His rivals say that al-Maliki still controls the country 's security ministries and all decisions go through him . They also say that the hundreds of people seized by the government in October for backing terrorism and supporting the banned Baath Party are Iraqiya supporters . Iraqiya spokesman Haider al-Mulla said the bloc has always warned about power-sharing and deal 's risks that al-Maliki 's State of Law Alliance party has been violating the law . `` Iraqiya has always expressed its rejection to the policy of exclusion and marginalization , lack of power sharing , politicization of the judiciary , the lack of balance within the government institutions , '' al-Mulla said . Al-Maliki is asking lawmakers to withdraw confidence from his deputy after Saleh al-Mutlaq made controversial comments this week over American forces withdrawing from Iraq , state media reported late Saturday . In a CNN interview , al-Mutlaq had accused al-Maliki of amassing dictatorial power . `` There will be a day whereby the Americans will realize that they were deceived by al-Maliki ... and they will regret that , '' said al-Mutlaq , a leader within the Iraqiya movement . Also at issue were reports that an arrest warrant had been issued for Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi for masterminding a recent car bombing targeting al-Maliki and the parliament . Ali al-Mussawi , al-Maliki 's media adviser , said there were confessions that linked the Sunni vice president to the bombing . Al-Mussawi dismissed the notion that linking al-Hashimi to terrorism was politically motivated . He would not confirm whether an arrest warrant had indeed been issued , saying that was a matter for the judiciary . But tensions were running high after the Iraqiya bloc , headed by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi , made its move Friday night . There had been fears of renewed bloodshed between Iraq 's majority Shiite and minority Sunni populations and that prompted U.S. officials to work out a power-sharing agreement , bringing the Iraqiya movement into the government . Al-Mutlaq told CNN that Washington is leaving Iraq `` with a dictator '' who has ignored the power-sharing agreement , kept control of the country 's security forces and rounded up hundreds of people in recent weeks . He said he was `` shocked '' to hear U.S. President Barack Obama greet al-Maliki at the White House on Monday as `` the elected leader of a sovereign , self-reliant and democratic Iraq . '' `` America left Iraq with almost no infrastructure . The political process is going in a very wrong direction , going toward a dictatorship , '' he said . `` People are not going to accept that , and most likely they are going to ask for the division of the country . And this is going to be a disaster . Dividing the country is n't going to be smooth , because dividing the country is going to be a war before that and a war after that . '' Neighboring Iran , predominantly Shiite and led by a Shiite regime , views al-Maliki as its man in Baghdad and has dictated the shape of the current government , al-Mutlaq said . But he said al-Maliki is playing games with both Washington and Tehran . Mahmoud Othman , a Kurdish member of parliament , said lawmakers discussed the Iraqiya move on Saturday and said it reflects `` a level of mistrust between the blocs , the government , Iraqiya and others . `` The problem is that Maliki is n't sharing any security decisions with Iraqiya , he does n't trust them and this is a big problem , '' he said . `` Power-sharing was never power-sharing . We are in a government of conflict . Power-sharing was never successful . `` The Kurds do n't want to take sides , we want them ( Iraqiya and State of Law Alliance ) to get together to solve their problems . '' He is worried that the problem could morph into fighting between Sunnis and Shiites or violence against the government . `` This is n't just political , '' he said . `` It 's sectarian . ''
The largely Sunni and secular Iraqiya bloc is boycotting parliament . It could unravel Iraq 's fragile power-sharing government . Critics of Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki say is amassing power . The political chaos raises fears of sectarian strife .