Deputy: The framework is determined to hold a meeting on Monday, and if it is postponed, it will be the last one.
MP Ahmed Salem Al-Saadi, from the Al-Hikma bloc, said on Sunday that the coordinating framework is determined to hold the next meeting to decide on the candidate for prime minister, and if it is postponed, “it will be the final postponement.”
Al-Saadi told Shafaq News Agency that “the next 72 hours will be crucial for agreeing on a candidate for the position of Prime Minister, and time is starting to put pressure on the leadership of the framework to resolve the matter.”
He added that “the coordination framework is more concerned than others with respecting the constitutional timeframe, and it is not possible to tolerate or ignore the remaining constitutional timeframe being disregarded.”
Al-Saadi stressed that “there is a framework of will to hold the meeting on Monday as scheduled, and it will be decisive. If the meeting is postponed, it will be the last one.”
Earlier today, the General Secretariat of the Coordination Framework called on the forces of the framework to hold a meeting tomorrow, Monday, at the office of the leader of the Wisdom Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, stressing that the agenda is limited to deciding on the candidate for the premiership.
The coordinating framework that includes the ruling Shiite political forces in Iraq failed to hold a “crucial” meeting yesterday, Saturday, and it was postponed until tomorrow, Monday.
These developments come at a time when the government formation process has entered a critical phase, following the election of Nizar Amidi as President of the Republic. This places the largest bloc before a constitutional deadline ending on April 26 to officially present its candidate, amid fears of returning to square one of political deadlock.
The Islamic Dawa Party confirmed on Sunday afternoon that its leader, Nouri al-Maliki, remains the sole candidate for prime minister, while denying that any alternative to him had been presented.
The party said in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency, “Al-Maliki has not withdrawn his candidacy until this moment, and the decision to withdraw the candidacy is solely up to the framework, as it is the body that nominated him by majority vote, and therefore the withdrawal of the candidacy must be done by the same mechanism by which he was nominated.”
The party denied the validity of what is being circulated about al-Maliki nominating any alternative to himself, adding: “There is a clear difference between al-Maliki endorsing the nomination of a specific person from among the names, and him adhering to the nomination of the framework and abiding by it.”
The Reconstruction and Development Coalition, led by Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, responded to the Dawa Party’s statement. Khalid Walid, a leader in the coalition, told Shafaq News Agency that “the Dawa Party’s statement today, which confirms al-Maliki’s nomination through the framework, faces clear opposition after the Reconstruction and Development Coalition withdrew its support for al-Maliki and confirmed its sole candidate, al-Sudani.”
He added that “going with the Maliki option will put us in front of a more complicated crisis, and we emphasize that the support of eight parties within the framework, in addition to the support of the national space, represents the decisive element,” explaining that “the assignment of Al-Sudani lacks the decision to be taken unanimously or by majority vote and the completion of the process of forming the government, which will face great and complex challenges.”
Shafaq.com