Coordination Framework deadlock jeopardizes Iraq PM talks
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Deep divisions within Iraq’s Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) threaten a key meeting to agree on a prime minister candidate, as leaders remain split over forming the next government, a source told Shafaq News on Wednesday.
The deadlock comes after the election of President Nizar Amedi on April 11, setting a 15-day deadline for the largest bloc, the CF, to nominate a prime minister.
The CF has fractured into three factions, with one backing former prime minister and the State of Law Coalition (SLC) leader Nouri Al-Maliki or a candidate he endorses. Another supports reappointing caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, while a third favors a compromise candidate.
The standoff intensified after Al-Maliki was initially named the CF’s nominee in January, before internal opposition and external pressure –notably from the United States– forced a reassessment.
Names under discussion also include Basim Al-Badri, head of the Accountability and Justice Commission, Ali Al-Shukri, presidential adviser and former minister, Hamid Al-Shatri, intelligence chief, Abdul-Ilah Al-Naili, head of the Martyrs Foundation, and Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, former acting speaker and leader of the Al-Asas Alliance.
A dispute has also emerged over how to withdraw Al-Maliki’s candidacy, the source said. The State of Law Coalition (SLC) leader is demanding individually signed objections, while opponents seek a collective decision to avoid direct confrontation. Earlier, coalition member Zuhair Al-Jalabi told Shafaq News that Al-Maliki “has not and will not step aside for any of the names circulating in the media,” describing such claims as inaccurate. He stressed that Al-Maliki’s position is final and unchanged.
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