Coordination Framework agrees on a deadline for granting al-Sudani cabinet confidence: source

Shafaq News/ The leaders of the Coordination Framework have agreed on a deadline for granting Mohammad Shiyaa al-Sudani's cabinet the confidence to proceed with government work, a leading figure in the Shiite forces consortium said on Sunday.

"The meeting held in Hadi al-Ameri's residence agreed on finalizing the lineup and holding a confidence vote in the upcoming week," the leading figure, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Shafaq News Agency.

Last week, Iraq came one giant step closer to forming a government as the parliament elected Abdul Latif Rashid as president, who then designated Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani as prime minister.

This follows a year of political stalemate since last October's election, which saw a huge win for Muqtada al-Sadr's coalition. One year later, the tables have turned, with al-Sadr's political adversaries ascendant.

Al-Sudani is an experienced technocrat who previously served as minister of human rights and minister of labor and social affairs. He is regarded as a creature of Nouri al-Maliki, despite his previous break with the Dawa party.

Some difficult political choices lie in front of al-Sudani, who is trying to work out a cabinet amid mounting pressures and edge-sharp disagreements between the powers supporting him for the premiership. Those challenges would only become tougher later when he gains access to federal funds that have ballooned over the past year thanks to rising energy prices.