Shafaq News-Baghdad
Leaders of Iraq’sShiite Coordination Framework (CF), the largest bloc in parliament, are set tomeet on Wednesday to resolve the mechanism for selecting a prime ministerialnominee, an Iraqi lawmaker told Shafaq News.
MP Amer Al-Fayez,head of the Tasmeem Alliance within the CF, said that the discussions willfocus on reaching a compromise formula that reconciles the two main approachesfor selecting the candidate.
No candidate haswithdrawn so far, Al-Fayez added, noting that if agreement on a mechanism isnot reached, contenders may be put forward individually for a vote within theFramework, including a compromise option. “If consensus proves difficult, themeeting could be postponed.”
The Framework, withabout 162 of parliament’s 329 seats, has failed to agree on a nominee in twoprevious meetings held on Saturday and Monday, postponing the decision totoday.
Under Iraq’spost-2003 power-sharing system, the presidency is held by a Kurd, thepremiership by a Shiite, and the speakership by a Sunni Arab. Parliamentelected Nizar Amedi as president on April 11, initiating the process tonominate a prime minister. The CF has 15 days to present its candidate, afterwhich the nominee has 30 days to form a government and secure parliamentaryconfidence under Article 76 of the constitution.
: Iraq's tpremiership battle has already begun