Shafaq News / Following a positive round of understandings and negotiations between the Coordination Framework and the Kurdish parties, which was preceded by a similar round with the Sunnis, the leaders of the Coordination Framework await the Sadrist bloc's response to join it and form a "consensus" government under the name of "Shiite majority," which differs from Muqtada al-Sadr's aspirations to a "national majority" government.
"The Coordination Framework overcame the complications that dominated the political landscape following the victorious round that resulted in constructive understandings with Kurdish leaders," Mohammed al-Sayhud, the winning State of Law Coalition candidate, told Shafaq News Agency.
"The meeting concluded that forming a majority government is impossible since most political forces will participate in establishing the government and the political process," he continued.
According to al-Sayhud, "All Kurdish forces have announced that they will participate in the government, as will the Sunni forces. In addition, Al-Azm and Takadum alliances have also expressed their desire to participate in the government, i.e., the Framework, with more than 100 representatives under its umbrella, will be able to form the government easily."
"We are now waiting for the Sadrist bloc to join us to expedite forming the government," he said, adding that the Framework and the Sadrist bloc will hold an expanded meeting in the coming days, possibly after the return of the Framework's delegation from the Kurdistan Region, to understand the content and form of the next government seriously.
"The Coordination Framework has sent several letters to the Sadrist Movement, and it is hoped that a meeting with al-Sadr will be held soon to unify opinions, as the Framework will not form the government without the Sadrist bloc. Ultimately everyone, including the Sadrist bloc, will participate in the formation of the government," he continued.
"The visit of the Framework's delegation to Kurdistan sent massages to the Federal Court, stating that the political blocs are close to agreeing," he said.
The Coordination Framework's delegation, led by the leader of the State of Law Coalition Nouri al-Maliki, arrived Thursday morning in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, and met with the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (K.D.P.), Masoud Barzani, and other Kurdish leaders to discuss the formation of the new government.
On Wednesday evening, the all-encompassing Coordination Framework of Shiite Forces, except for the Sadrist movement, revealed the terms of its political initiative to get out of the crisis that resulted in from the election results, while noting that the political opposition is a right guaranteed to all forces, "Those wishing to participate in forming the government must declare in advance and take responsibility for the performance of their representatives in the executive authority in front of the public."
The meeting, which brought together the Coordination Framework's delegation headed by Nouri al-Maliki, and the delegation of the K.D.P. led by Masoud Barzani, emphasized the need to, "reconsider the system of governing in Iraq, draw on past experiences, and take into account the principles of partnership, consensus, and balance in the governance process."
In another part of the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the challenges facing Iraq's future, services, ISIS's threats, environmental problems and water shortages, and citizens' demands.
The two sides also stressed the need for continued attempts to bring the parties' views closer, to find appropriate solutions for the next stage, and overcome the challenges hindering the formation of the new Iraqi government.
Kurdistan Regional President Nechirvan Barzani, for his part, stated during a meeting with the Coordination Framework, that the results of the Iraqi parliamentary elections reaffirmed Iraq's special status, pointing that Kurdistan will never be part of the problems, but will always contribute to a realistic solution to reach a true partnership between Iraqi parties.
On the other hand, Sadrist leader Muqtada al-Sadr is committed to forming a "political majority" government as the only option to "save" the country.
Concerning the "Coordination Framework", the populist cleric declared that the only answer to rescue Iraq is a "national majority". So either a majority government is created, and the Sadrist bloc consequently goes to the political opposition, or "it is a national majority, and they are opposed."
Muqtada al-Sadr strongly rejected what he described as “Apothecarist mixture”, saying, "I will not participate in a national or consensual coalition government this time."
"Many political groups support forming a majority government. Thus, they will be part of the larger bloc coalition if the Federal Court approves the election results," Sadrist leader Riyadh al-Massoudi told Shafaq News Agency.
According to the final results of the elections, the Sadrist bloc came first with 73 seats, followed by the Takadum Alliance led by Mohammed al-Halbousi with 37 seats, Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law coalition with 33 seats, and the K.D.P. with 31 seats.
