EXCLUSIVE: CF adopts two-thirds rule for Iraq’s premiership race
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraqi Shiite leaders have agreed on a mechanism to select the country’s next prime minister, centering on a two-thirds majority rule, a source within the Coordination Framework (CF) told Shafaq News on Thursday.
Under the emerging formula, any candidate securing the backing of eight out of 12 senior Shiite leaders would effectively achieve consensus, paving the way for the remaining factions to align and complete the required two-thirds support.
The proposal comes as negotiations within the CF, Iraq’s largest parliamentary bloc, continue to shape the government formation process. A CF meeting initially scheduled for Wednesday was postponed after several Framework leaders boycotted the session.
Earlier this week, Iraq’s State of Law Coalition rejected reports that its leader, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, might withdraw his candidacy for the premiership. Coalition member Zuhair al-Jalabi conveyed to 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. The remarks came after Qusay Mahbuba of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition (Al-Imaar wal-Tanmiya), led by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, suggested that al-Maliki could step aside in favor of Basim al-Badri, raising questions over whether such a move would signal a political exit or risk fracturing the CF.
Under Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing system, the presidency is held by a Kurd, the premiership by a Shiite, and the speakership by a Sunni Arab. Parliament elected Nizar Amedi as president on April 11, triggering the constitutional process to name a prime minister. According to Article 76 of the constitution, the CF has 15 days from that date to nominate its candidate, after which the designated prime minister has 30 days to form a government and secure parliamentary confidence.
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