Tripartite alliance confirms nominations for Iraq’s president and prime minister

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The alliance between the Sadrist bloc, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance on Wednesday announced their nominations of the KDP’s Reber Ahmed for the Iraqi presidency and the Sadrist Mohammad Jaafar al-Sadr for the position of Iraq’s prime minister, according to state media.

The Iraqi parliament is set to elect a president on Saturday, over six weeks after it postponed its session to vote in a candidate for the position in February. KDP’s Ahmed is competing against the country’s current president, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)’s Barham Salih, who is running for a second term.

Jaafar, son of the revered Shiite leader Sayeed Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr, worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for some time, and was elected as a member of parliament in 2010 with the State of Law, led by Nouri al-Maliki, whereupon he resigned a few months later. He is currently Iraq's ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Following the announcement, Shiite cleric and leader of the Sadrist bloc Muqtada al-Sadr, released a statement congratulating the Iraqi people for the nomination of both candidates, calling it a “unique and important achievement for saving the homeland.”

A high-level KDP delegation arrived in Baghdad earlier on Wednesday to discuss the issue of the presidency with the Iraqi political parties, a KDP official told Rudaw. Headed by Fazel Mirani, the secretary of the KDP political bureau, the delegation were scheduled to meet with the Iraqi parties to discuss the KDP’s candidate for the presidency, Rebar Ahmed, while also trying to secure the legal quorum. 

The Coordination Framework, a pro-Iran Shiite parliamentary faction consisting of over 100 MPs, have expressed their intention to boycott the session, as they persist in attempts to form a government based on political consensus.

Ahmed visited Baghdad on Tuesday to meet with Iraqi parties and blocs, including the Coordination Framework, where he discussed his four-year plan if he is to be elected as the next president of the republic, a KDP MP told Rudaw on Tuesday.

According to the constitution, the president of Iraq shall be elected by the parliament by a two-thirds majority of the number of its members.

Jamal Kochar, a Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) MP, confirmed to Rudaw on Wednesday that his bloc will be attending Saturday’s session, as it is their duty as MPs to be there. However, Kochar believes that it is unlikely that the new president will be elected on Saturday, as he doubts that the legal quorum will be reached.

“If none of the candidates receive the required majority vote then the two candidates who received the highest number of votes shall compete and the one who receives the majority of votes in the second election shall be declared President,” the constitution specifies.

The idea of a consensus government has been repeatedly opposed by the Sadrist bloc, who are pushing for the formation of a majority government along with their allies, the KDP, and the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance.

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.

By Chenar Chalak