Shiite CF to finalize pick for Iraq’s next PM
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), Iraq’s largest bloc in parliament, will choose its premiership candidate once the judiciary ratifies the election results, a senior bloc figure said on Monday.
Amer Al-Fayez, head of the Tasmim Alliance, told Shafaq News that any contender who meets the CF’s revised criteria may be nominated.
The Islamic Dawa Party’s nomination of its Secretary-General and former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, he noted, does not prevent him from competing or from putting forward an alternative if internal discussions lead in that direction.
A CF source earlier said the main contenders remain caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Al-Maliki, and Intelligence Service chief Hamid Al-Shatri, alongside other nominees.
Iraq recently concluded its sixth parliamentary election since 2003, held on November 11 with turnout surpassing 56 percent.
According to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), Al-Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition won 46 seats, followed by Al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition with 29 seats and Sadiqoon with 27. The Tasmim Alliance secured 6 seats.
Under Iraq’s power-sharing system, the premiership goes to a Shia figure, the speakership to a Sunni, and the presidency to a Kurd. With the CF holding 148 of parliament’s 329 seats, it is positioned to steer negotiations over the next prime minister, president, and speaker.
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