Al-Maliki's bloc explains his absence from State Administration meetings

Shafaq News/ A member of the State of Law Coalition, led by Nouri al-Maliki, has clarified the reason behind al-Maliki's absence from recent the State Coalition's meetings held at the government palace under the auspices of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

According to Member Abdulrahman al-Jazayri, al-Maliki's absence was not due to "anger or any political stance," but rather due to prior commitments and other meetings.

He delegated one of the Coordination Framework leaders to represent him, emphasizing that al-Maliki remains the most influential and powerful figure within the Shiite Coordination Framework and State Administration Coalitions.

Al-Jazayri added that the issue of early parliamentary elections was officially raised during the State Administration meetings and is still under discussion. He stressed that "this is our project (early elections) and we will not compromise on it. It is a solution to many of the political problems that Iraq is going through, especially the election of the Parliament Speaker, which has reached a deadlock."

Last month, Nuri al-Maliki, leader of the State of Law Coalition, called for early parliamentary elections to be held by the end of 2024. He stated that al-Sudani's government is obligated to hold early elections as it is a clause in the government's program, emphasizing the need to prevent government officials from participating in them unless they resign from their positions.

Al-Sudani assumed the post of Prime Minister in October 2022 with the support of the Coordination Framework, in addition to a political alliance that brought together Kurdish and Sunni forces, known as the State Administration Coalition.