Iraq’s CF weighs alternatives to Al-Maliki for premiership

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Influential factions within Iraq’s Coordination Framework (CF) are considering alternative candidates for the next prime minister, a source told Shafaq News on Monday.

Discussions are underway to review several names after the bloc failed to reach consensus, the source pointed out, adding that the State of Law Coalition (SLC) leader Nouri Al-Maliki’s candidacy faced US opposition, while growing resistance has also emerged against renewing Al-Sudani’s term, including from religious figures.

“The coming days will witness intensified political negotiations and meetings to agree on a compromise candidate acceptable to all parties.” According to the source, the Reconstruction and Development Alliance, led by Al-Sudani, may put forward parliamentary bloc head Bahaa Al-Araji as an alternative if a second term for the caretaker PM cannot be secured.

He noted that recent CF meetings discussed mechanisms for selecting the president and setting a deadline for the parliamentary session, alongside preliminary discussions on the premiership, “where several names were proposed but faced objections from key factions.”

Meanwhile, Reconstruction and Development bloc spokesperson Firas Al-Mislmawi told Shafaq News that parliament has set a final, non-extendable date to elect the president, noting that lawmakers agreed to vote for the Kurdish nominee if Kurdish parties present a unified candidate. If multiple candidates are nominated, the decision will be determined through a parliamentary vote.

Earlier on Monday, the Parliament Presidency set April 11 as the date for the session to elect the president, urging political leaders to fulfill constitutional obligations and move forward with forming a government.

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