Maybe manipulating the formation of the next government, now that the election results are in, was the driver to set some of these big pieces in motion.
Before Maliki gets selected as Prime Minister for another term and drives the country even further the way he has been going, other players may have decided to make a big push to change direction. One possibility.
I would suggest that any attempted putsch to get rid of Maliki include enticing golden parachutes for him, like a palace in Dubai and a bank vaults in Switzerland and Tehran.
My choice is to let nature and history run out its course. Cleaner, cheaper and instantly permanent...