CF to discuss local governments, ending the US mission in Iraq at al-Hakim's office

Shafaq News/ The leaders of the Shiite Coordination Framework will meet on Monday evening to discuss the formation of provincial governments and the fate of current governors.

An insider told the Shafaq News Agency that the meeting will be held at the office of the leader of the Wisdom Movement, Ammar al-Hakim.

"The meeting will also discuss support for the Iraqi government's efforts to end the mission of the US-led coalition in Iraq," the source said.

The meeting comes as the ruling alliance is under pressure to make progress toward the formation of provincial governments since the deadline to select governors and establish functioning provincial councils is February 9, 2024.

Another source from inside the Shiite alliance has cast doubt on imminent appointments for new governors, despite the looming legal deadline.

While speculation swirls around governor choices in various provinces, the source, speaking to Shafaq News Agency, clarified that no definitive decisions have been made until the moment.

"The process remains firmly in the hands of the alliance's central leadership, with current discussions focused on establishing broad principles for the forthcoming selection procedure," the source said.

"Claims regarding specific governor selections are entirely inaccurate," the source asserted. "The leaders of the alliance are currently engaged in talks to establish selection criteria, not yet dwelling on individual candidates."

Acknowledging the urgency, the source revealed that the framework has implemented a strategy to expedite the decision-making process. "Dividing the provinces into three designated groups (A, B, and C) aims to facilitate quicker deliberations and appointments within each category."

Iraq's governing Shiite alliance emerged as the biggest winner in the country's provincial elections that were held on December 18, 2023.

The Coordination Framework, a loose coalition of Shiite groups, took 101 of 285 council seats. The election result is seen as a boon to the Iran-backed groups, which have been steadily gaining influence, in advance of a parliamentary election scheduled for 2025.

The Coordination Framework, which brought Mohammad Shia al-Sudani to office after a long dispute with the Sadrist movement, already forms the biggest bloc in Iraq’s parliament. The grouping ran three lists in the provincial election, but said they would govern together after the vote, the first such agreement in a decade.

Al-Sadr, whose party resigned from parliament in 2022 after failing to form a governing coalition, called on his supporters to stay away from the polls so as not to grant legitimacy to a "corrupt" ruling class.