Five contenders eye Iraq's top post: PM selection looms
Shafaq News
With Iraq’s six parliamentary elections concluded, the country now turns to forming a new government and selecting its next prime minister. Five main figures have emerged as frontrunners: caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al‑Sudani, former Prime Minister Nouri Al‑Maliki, Intelligence Chief Hamid Al‑Shatri, former Youth and Sports Minister Abdul-Hussein Abtan, and Accountability and Justice Parliamentary Commission Head Basim al-Badri.
Mohammed Shia Al‑Sudani
Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al‑Sudani was born in Baghdad in 1970. He earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science from the University of Baghdad and later completed a master’s in project management.
After the 2003 invasion, Al‑Sudani entered politics through the Dawa Party, led by Nouri Al‑Maliki. He served as mayor of Al-Amarah from 2004 to 2005 and later as governor of Maysan Province from 2009 to 2010. He first joined the cabinet as Minister of Human Rights under Al-Maliki from 2010 to 2014 and later served as Minister of Labor and Social Affairs under Haider al-Abadi from 2014 to 2018.
In May 2022, the Coordination Framework (CF) nominated him
for prime minister. His cabinet was approved in October 2022. In the 2025
parliamentary elections, his bloc — Al‑Ima’ar
wal‑Tanmiya
(Reconstruction and Development) — won 46
seats, emerging as the largest.
Nouri Al‑Maliki
Nouri Al‑Maliki was born in 1950, near Al‑Ḥillah in central Iraq. He studied Islamic studies, earning a B.A. in 1973, and later completed an M.A. in Arabic literature. In his youth, he joined the Islamic Dawa Party, which was outlawed under Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Forced into exile in 1979, Al‑Maliki lived in Jordan, Syria, and Iran, taking on party leadership roles, including managing Dawa’s Damascus branch. Following Saddam’s fall, he returned to Iraq and was elected to the Transitional National Assembly in 2005, helping draft the constitution.
He became prime minister in April 2006 and held the role for
two terms until 2014, consolidating influence over security and defense. In the
2025 elections, he ran under his State of Law Coalition (E’tilaf Dawlat
Al-Qanoun), which won 29 seats.
Hamid Al‑Shatri
Hamid Rashid Faleh Al‑Shatri was born in Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq. He currently heads the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS), having been appointed by PM Al‑Sudani in December 2024.
Before leading INIS, Al‑Shatri held key security roles. In
January 2021, he became Director-General of the Intelligence and
Counter-Terrorism Department at the Interior Ministry. He later served as
Deputy Head and then Head of the Iraqi National Security Service until July
2023, after which he moved to a role in the National Security Council. Al‑Shatri
is also known for overseeing Iraq’s “Falcons Cell,” an intelligence unit
credited with high-risk operations.
Abdul‑Hussein Abtan
Abdul‑Hussein Abdul Redha Abtan was born on May 1, 1964, in Najaf. He served as Iraq’s Minister of Youth and Sports from 2014 to 2018.
Before his ministerial role, Abtan was deputy governor of
Najaf from 2005 to 2009 and a member of parliament representing Najaf from 2010
to 2014. He also founded the Iqtidar al‑Watan (National Capability)
Movement, a centrist political formation.
Basim Al‑Badri
Basim Al‑Badri is the current Head of Iraq’s Accountability and Justice Parliamentary Commission, the
body responsible for de-Baathification and vetting individuals for public
office. He was appointed in the early 2010s and has overseen the screening of
candidates for government and parliamentary positions.
Written and edited by Shafaq News staff.
