Between Maliki, Abadi, and compromise candidates: 3 scenarios on the table to decide the premiership
The Iraqi political scene is witnessing intense activity within the Coordination Framework, as consultations and closed-door meetings continue to resolve the issue of the next prime minister’s candidate. This comes amidst public anticipation and differing opinions regarding the shape of the upcoming political phase.
According to political sources, the Coordination Framework’s leadership is holding successive meetings at the homes of several of its leaders in Baghdad, attempting to reach a consensus formula that will end the current political deadlock and determine the identity of the candidate who will lead the next government during what is described as a sensitive period both domestically and internationally.
On Monday evening, the Coordination Framework’s leadership held a small meeting at the home of Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, with several prominent figures in attendance, to discuss the agenda for the upcoming meeting dedicated to resolving the issue of the prime ministership.
An informed political source told Al-Maalomah that “the meeting included Nouri al-Maliki, the head of the Supreme Islamic Council, Humam Hamoudi, the head of the Hikma Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, the Secretary-General of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, Qais al-Khazali, and the Popular Mobilization Forces leader, Abu Fadak al-Muhammadawi.”
He indicated that “the discussions focused on the mechanism for managing internal agreements, the proposed names, and the possibility of bridging the viewpoints of the various parties.”
He noted that “those present also discussed the nature of the upcoming meeting expected to be held at the home of the head of the Supreme Islamic Council, Humam Hamoudi, which will be dedicated to continuing discussions on the candidates and finalizing the decision-making mechanism, whether through direct consensus or internal voting.”
In a related context, the spokesperson for the Victory Coalition, Salam al-Zubaidi, revealed details of a crucial meeting of the leaders of the Coordination Framework scheduled for Wednesday. He explained that the meeting will discuss three main scenarios for deciding on the nomination of the largest bloc’s candidate for the next prime minister.
Al-Zubaidi clarified to Al-Maalomah that “the first scenario involves reaching an agreement on one of the currently proposed names, including Mohammed Shia al-Sudani or Haider al-Abadi as potential alternatives if no agreement is reached on other names within the framework. The second scenario involves selecting a candidate from a list of nine names that were proposed in previous meetings, with six of them still under active discussion.”
He explained that “the third scenario involves choosing a ‘compromise candidate’ from outside the coordination framework if agreement on the first two options proves impossible. However, this option remains, in his words, unlikely at the present stage, given the political forces’ desire to keep the decision within the internal framework.”
He pointed out that “the forces within the coordination framework remain committed to the option of consensus and agreement as the primary path to resolving the issue of the next prime minister, in order to avoid any divisions that might affect the unified political stance of the largest bloc, at a time when political, economic, and security pressures are increasing, requiring a swift resolution to this matter.”
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