Al-Araji: The framework will not change its candidate due to American pressure… and the decision will be made next week.
The head of the Reconstruction and Development bloc, Bahaa al-Araji, confirmed on Tuesday that the coordination framework “will not change its candidate for the next government due to an American decision,” stressing that the issue of the premiership is “a purely Iraqi matter.”
Al-Araji told Shafaq News Agency that the framework “is looking at the candidate’s acceptability within the framework and other political blocs,” indicating that the coordinating framework will hold a meeting next week “and will come up with a candidate for the position of Prime Minister, whether it is Nouri al-Maliki or another candidate,” denying the existence of “any special American message to the coordinating framework.”
He added that the selection of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as a replacement for al-Maliki for the premiership “is due to the coordination framework,” noting that custom and tradition dictate that the Reconstruction and Development bloc is the largest bloc in parliament and the coordination framework.
The issues of deciding on the presidency, the Iranian-American escalation, and accelerating the formation of the new government topped the agenda of the coordination framework meeting held last Monday night, without mentioning the name of its candidate for prime minister, the leader of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, even though the meeting was dedicated to deciding on this issue.
Prior to that, in an interview with Agence France-Presse, Maliki confirmed his commitment to running for the premiership and not withdrawing, noting that his nomination came as an agreement within the coordination framework.
According to informed sources close to the political decision-making center, Maliki realizes that his withdrawal will be interpreted as yielding to American objections, while leaders within the framework fear that withdrawing his candidacy will be understood as a response to the same pressure, making the decision costly internally for both sides.
Those sources told Shafaq News Agency that this complication has disrupted the holding of official meetings of the framework during the past days, with consultations moving to side channels and mediation attempts to persuade him to back down without burdening any party with the cost of public concessions, indicating that leaders in the framework have begun discussing gathering a majority to vote to withdraw his nomination in a meeting expected in the coming hours.
The coordinating framework, which includes ruling Shiite political forces in Iraq, is witnessing a division over the nomination of Maliki for the next government, amid American warnings of the repercussions of his selection, which prompted forces within the coalition to try to persuade him to withdraw in order to preserve the unity of the framework.
The escalating American pressure on Iraq comes as a translation of the threats of US President Donald Trump, which included criticism of the path taken by Maliki during his two consecutive terms as head of government between 2006 and 2014.
Shafaq.com