Shafaq News– Baghdad
Divisions over a “controversial”nominee as head of Iraq’s government prompted the cancellation of a planned ShiiteCoordination Framework (CF) meeting, a political source revealed to Shafaq Newson Sunday.
The source said factions within the CF—a coalition of political parties that holds decisive influence in parliament— rejectedpassing any candidate “except by agreement and unanimity,” adding that theHikma Movement led by Ammar al-Hakim and the Sadiqoon bloc led by QaisAl-Khazali “insist on applying the agreed criteria,” foremost that the nominee“must not be a controversial figure” and should ensure “balance at the domesticand external levels.”
According to the source, thedisagreement does not place the alliance under immediate pressure, as the CFhas up to 15 days after the election of the president to settle on itscandidate. If consensus fails, he added, “internal voting remains an option,”provided the nominee meets the established conditions.
The canceled meeting, scheduled forSaturday, had been intended to address internal differences over the choice ofprime ministerial nominee but failed to convene. While the source did notidentify any individual by name, political sources had previously affirmed thatthe dispute centers on the possible return of former prime minister Nourial-Maliki, whose candidacy faces opposition from Hikma and Sadiqoon,alongside reservations expressed by Badr Organization chief Hadi al-Amiri.
The debate unfolds as al-Maliki’sState of Law Coalition, which secured 29 seats in the recent parliamentaryelections, positions him as a leading contender within the CF. In parallel,caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, whose Reconstructionand Development (Al-Ima’ar wal Tanmiya) Coalition won 46 seats, withdrew fromseeking a second term.
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Under Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharingsystem, the presidency is held by a Kurd, the premiership by a Shiite Arab, andthe speakership of parliament by a Sunni Arab. CF-aligned forces control around180 of the 329 seats in parliament, giving the alliance decisive influence overthe formation of the next government.