ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Coordination Framework is closing in on naming Iraq’s next prime minister, said Leader of the State of Law Coalition Nouri al-Maliki on Monday, a month after the withdrawal of rival Muqtada al-Sadr from the parliament.
Maliki, a key member of the pro-Iran Coordination Framework, on Monday addressed the latest developments in the faction’s quest towards forming Iraq’s next government and putting an end to the political impasse that has plagued the country since October’s elections.
Maliki stated that the Framework has made an important stride in the political dialogue, stressing that they have been open to “ideas and mechanisms” from all the political components.
“The framework is close to achieving its goals, the most important of which is naming the prime minister [of Iraq] and forming a government capable of advancing the current security and service situation within the mechanisms prepared in advance to serve Iraq and its honorable people,” read a statement from Maliki’s office.
The statement from the State of Law leader comes hours after fellow Coordination Framework member Hadi al-Amiri, head of the Fatih Alliance, denied the rumors that he would run for Iraq’s premiership, but stressed that he will support any candidate chosen by the Framework for the position.
The Coordination Framework is a pro-Iran parliamentary faction consisting of all the Shiite blocs in the Iraqi parliament - excluding the resigned Sadrist bloc - and a number of independent MPs, which opposed Sadr’s attempts to form a national majority government following October’s elections, insisting on forming a government based on political consensus.
The Sadrist bloc, who emerged from the October elections with 73 seats, the highest number of seats in the Iraqi parliament, previously nominated Mohammad Jaafar al-Sadr for the position of prime minister, but withdrew the nomination when the bloc collectively resigned from the legislature on June 12.
Iraq held an early election on October 10. The vote was called in response to mass protests in the country beginning in October 2019, caused by widespread dissatisfaction with Iraq’s politicians and endemic corruption in the country.
