SEVERAL bombs exploded in Baghdad on Thursday morning, killing dozens of people in the Iraqi capital's worst attack in a year and stoking fears that without American soldiers, an unravelling political situation could herald a return for Iraq to the bad old days of sectarian bloodshed.

The troops' final departure on December 18th was a quiet affair marked by flag-folding and the rumble of convoys heading towards Kuwait. But though many have lamented the Americans' failure to oversee the creation of a functioning government or to bring security to Iraq, their presence may have been a stabilising factor and their departure has left people fearful for Iraq's future. As army trucks kicked up their last clouds of Iraqi dust, a political crisis descended on Baghdad that could fracture the fragile power-sharing government and re-open sectarian grievances.

Iraqia, the parliamentary bloc which includes many Sunni politicians and won the support of most of the Sunni population in the elections held in 2010, has suspended its participation the ruling coalition. One Iraqia MP said that in doing so, his party hoped to ring alarm bells that the country was going in the wrong direction.

After the elections Iraqia, which won a plurality of seats, agreed—reluctantly—to participate in a government led by Nuri al-Maliki, who commands the support of many Shia parties and voters. They struck a bargain, they say, in which a member of Iraqia would be defence minister, and the bloc's leader, Ayad Allawi, would play a central role in government. None of this has happened. No defence or interior minister has been confirmed, and power is increasingly concentrated in Mr Maliki's hands. Iraqia alleges that Shia militias responsible for much of the sectarian violence that tore the country apart five years ago have been incorporated into the security forces, and target Sunnis.

The cracks in the government are increasingly apparent. Saleh al-Mutlak, a Sunni member of Iraqia  who is deputy prime minister, called Mr Maliki a dictator during an interview with CNN, an American television network, last week. His boss swiftly called for a vote of no confidence in him though this has yet to take place. Tanks are reportedly parked outside Mr Mutlak's house. An arrest warrant has been issued for Tariq al-Hashemi, another senior Sunni politician, after his former aides appeared on television claiming that he had participated in terrorist activities.

Sunni politicians outside Baghdad are increasingly worried about their position. In Diyala, a mixed province northwest of the capital, there were reports of Sunni politicians being arrested and bullied, apparently on orders from the government in Baghdad. Earlier in December Sunni and Kurdish members of the provisional council united against their Shia counterparts and announced a bid for federalism, a move that would minimise Baghdad's political and military control of the province. Protesting against the provincial government's actions, Shia rioters gathered around the council building and blocked the main road through the province.

Ordinary Iraqis frequently express bored disdain for their ineffective, corrupt government. But now people are afraid that this undignified sectarian political squabble will spill onto the streets. Sunnis fear that that they will suffer most. Watching the news on a crackly television in a shop in Baghdad, one young Sunni man said he feared sectarian violence would return to Iraq. “I think if the Americans stayed, it would be better,” he said.

(Photo credit: AFP)