Iraqi ruling bloc plans swift government formation after elections
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The Coordination Framework, a coalition of mostly Shiite parties, has agreed to push for swift government formation once election results are finalized, according to Fadi al-Shammari, political adviser to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
At a Tuesday press conference, al-Shammari confirmed that political factions will launch negotiations immediately after results are certified.
His remarks came as polling centers opened nationwide on Tuesday for the general vote, marking Iraq’s sixth parliamentary elections since 2003, with around 20 million registered voters selecting 329 lawmakers from more than 7,000 candidates across 37 alliances and coalitions.
Read more: Iraq’s 2025 poll: +21M voters, new law, fading monitors, and fierce bloc rivalries
Formed in 2021, the Coordination Framework includes major Shiite factions and currently holds around 130 seats. It became Iraq’s dominant Shiite bloc after Muqtada al-Sadr’s Patriotic Shiite Movement’s withdrawal in 2022 and now leads the ruling coalition.
Although its parties are contesting the election separately, analysts view this as a tactical move to reunify afterward and claim the status of “largest bloc,” granting them the constitutional right to nominate the next prime minister.
Read more: The Battle for Iraq’s “Largest Bloc”: A Renewed Struggle over Power and Definition
