But interviews with more than 100 Iraqis across the country showed broad support for Maliki, in many cases because of the strong-arm tactics that trouble his allies. Shiites said they backed him, but so did many Sunnis, who increasingly see him as a nonsectarian leader. He has built that reputation over the past year by launching military offensives against the militia of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, once an ally, and by making bellicose threats against the Kurds, a key part of his governing coalition…

Abdel Razaq, the campaign manager, said the party is no longer focused on religion. “Maliki is Islamic as a person, but as a statesman? No, he is secular,” he said. “Right now we have priorities. People have no houses, no food, no security. There are essential needs for people before you do things like ban alcohol or force women to cover their heads with scarves.”

“Maliki is first of all Iraqist,” he said. “He cannot be an Islamist now.”…

At least 142 lawmakers, four more than necessary, would support pushing Maliki out of office through a no-confidence vote, according to a senior U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. But he and leading lawmakers from across the political spectrum said such a vote was unlikely at this point because there was no clear alternative and it could plunge the country into chaos.