Weighing the blocs on the table of the framework… Al-Maliki and Al-Sudani resort to the “decisive weight”

An informed source revealed on Tuesday details of the visit of caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to the leader of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, during which a number of proposals were discussed to end the political deadlock regarding the selection of the Coordination Framework candidate for the next government.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that “among the proposals to resolve the deadlock is adopting the framework for choosing the next prime minister, meaning that the candidate must obtain an absolute majority from the representatives of the framework, or adopting the parliamentary weight of the blocs supporting the candidate from which he will come.”

In other words, the source explained that if (Maliki or Sudani) insist on holding on to their nomination, the parliamentary weight that their blocs represent, in coordination with the other supporting blocs, will decide the matter, provided that one of them exceeds two-thirds, which is equivalent to (10) votes within the total votes of the leaders of the coordination framework.

According to the source, if it becomes impossible to reach an agreement with the other forces within the framework on the aforementioned proposals, a compromise candidate will be chosen who has political and governmental experience in managing the country amidst the security, economic and political challenges and is internationally acceptable.

The source added that there is a near convergence between Maliki and Sudani in adopting the proposals and putting them on the table of the coordination framework in the next meeting, noting that the inter-visits are continuing until tomorrow to mature the visions and proposals in order to reach logical solutions that end the deadlock.

Shafaq.com

Alawi: Iran’s blessing is still in place for Maliki to assume the position of Prime Minister

Ali Al-Alawi, a member of the State of Law Coalition, confirmed that Iran’s blessing for Maliki to assume the position of Prime Minister is still in place, noting that Tehran sees Maliki as a good negotiator in the Middle East towards the Western and European camp.

Al-Alawi told Al-Maalouma that “the blessing of the leader of the Islamic Revolution, the martyr Sayyid Ali Khamenei, regarding the appointment of the head of the State of Law Coalition to the position of Prime Minister is still valid.”

He added that “Iran had previously supported Iraq in the matter of choosing the prime minister and forming the new government before the outbreak of the war, and this project is still ongoing, and it is one of the projects in which Iran supports Iraq.”

He explained that “Iran knows very well who stands with it and who stands against it, and worked to support Maliki’s appointment as Prime Minister, as he would be one of the negotiators in the Middle East with the Western and European camp, especially with the changing circumstances in the region.”

Almaalomah.me

The Sudanese abstained… The Algerian reveals the behind-the-scenes details of the “secret vote” within the framework.

On Tuesday, Abdul Rahman al-Jazaeri, a member of the Coordination Framework, revealed details of the recent meeting of Shia political forces to resolve the issue of the prime ministership. He confirmed the official withdrawal of the nominations of Nouri al-Maliki and Haider al-Abadi, while noting that prominent leaders abstained from the secret ballot.

Al-Jazaeri told Al-Maalomah News Agency that “the leaders of the Coordination Framework held a decisive meeting that involved resorting to a secret ballot to choose an alternative candidate from among the remaining nominees for the position of prime minister.” He explained that “the voting process took place with the participation of 9 out of 12 leaders.”

He added that “Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, head of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, and two other leaders of the Framework abstained from the secret ballot on the nomination,” indicating that “the official announcement of the final candidate for prime minister will be made next Wednesday.”

Almaalomah.me

MP: Repeatedly postponing meetings to decide on the prime ministership could open a door for foreign interference

MP Mukhtar al-Youssef, from the Badr parliamentary bloc, warned on Tuesday against the repeated postponement of meetings of the Coordination Framework regarding the selection of the largest bloc’s candidate for the position of the next prime minister. He called on the framework’s leaders to resolve the issue next Wednesday, as further delays could open the door to foreign interference.

Al-Youssef told the Information Agency that “the leaders of the Coordination Framework are obligated to their constituents and the Iraqi public to resolve this issue in next Wednesday’s meeting,” warning that “continued postponement will have undesirable repercussions on the political landscape.”

He added that “failure to resolve the prime ministership issue as quickly as possible could open the door to foreign interference in national affairs, which is completely unacceptable.”

It is worth noting that the leaders of the Coordination Framework held a meeting Monday evening without reaching an agreement on the largest bloc’s candidate for the next prime minister, and the meeting was postponed until Wednesday.

Almaalomah.me

Al-Jalabi: No new candidate will be nominated for prime minister without Maliki’s official withdrawal.

Zuhair al-Jalabi, a member of the Coordination Framework, clarified the situation regarding the nomination of the next prime minister on Tuesday, confirming that Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, remains the current candidate for the position.

Al-Jalabi told the Information Agency, “The Coordination Framework cannot proceed with nominating any other figure unless al-Maliki’s nomination is officially withdrawn,” noting that the latter has not yet announced his withdrawal.

He added, “This procedure also applies to the caretaker Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as no alternative or new nomination can be put forward unless the current candidate’s position is resolved and he officially announces his withdrawal from the race.”
Earlier, Firas al-Muslawi, spokesperson for the Reconstruction and Development Bloc, revealed that two specific mechanisms have been proposed to resolve the issue of selecting the largest bloc’s candidate for the position of Prime Minister, indicating that the leaders of the Coordination Framework will choose one of them in a meeting on Wednesday.

Almaalomah.me

The “two-thirds” requirement is a sticking point for consensus… Disagreements over mechanisms are hindering the nomination of a prime ministerial candidate within the framework.

Political data indicates strong signs that the forces meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, will fail to reach a final agreement for the leaders of the framework, due to the deepening gap of disagreements over the implementation mechanisms presented for discussion during yesterday’s meeting. The last few hours have witnessed a sharp divergence of views among the active parties, as some blocs insist on procedural paths that other parties reject and consider a violation of previous understandings regarding the selection of previous heads of government. This has put the anticipated meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, at risk of postponement. Sources close to the leaders of the coordinating framework indicated that the main obstacle lies in the “devil in the details” related to the mechanism for selecting the candidate of the largest bloc for the next prime minister, which makes the announcement of the “framework agreement” tomorrow unlikely in light of the current tension and the insistence on not making mutual concessions that would end the existing deadlock.

In this context, Firas al-Muslawi, spokesperson for the Reconstruction and Development Bloc, revealed on Tuesday that two specific mechanisms have been proposed to resolve the issue of selecting the largest bloc’s candidate for the position of Prime Minister. He indicated that the leaders of the Coordination Framework will choose one of them in a meeting on Wednesday.

Al-Muslawi told the Al-Maalomah News Agency that “the leaders of the Coordination Framework agreed in a meeting on Monday evening that the nomination of the next candidate should be based on a two-thirds majority system to ensure acceptance and proceed with the formation of the government.”

He added that “the current discussions are focused on finalizing the two-thirds mechanism, with two options being presented: the first requires a two-thirds vote from the leaders of the Framework’s constituent forces, and the second requires a two-thirds majority vote from the members of Parliament belonging exclusively to the Coordination Framework’s constituent forces.”

Al-Muslawi indicated that “tomorrow’s meeting, Wednesday, will be crucial in choosing one of these two mechanisms to immediately begin the procedures for nominating the next prime minister.”

For his part, Jassim Mohammed Jaafar, a leader in the State of Law Coalition, confirmed on Tuesday that the established practice within the Coordination Framework for nominating previous prime ministers was based on the leadership of the Coordination Framework itself, not on parliamentary weight. He noted that this proposal could be agreed upon, provided it is implemented during the upcoming elections and not during the current parliamentary session.

Jaafar added in a statement to Al-Maalouma News Agency that “the disagreement within the Coordination Framework remains complex,” and he predicted that “no agreement will be reached on resolving the issue of the largest bloc’s candidate for the next prime minister during tomorrow’s meeting.”

It is worth noting that the leaders of the Coordination Framework held a meeting Monday evening without reaching an agreement on the largest bloc’s candidate for the next prime minister, and the meeting was postponed until Wednesday.

Almaalomah.me

The International Maritime Organization is considering evacuating ships stranded in the Gulf.

The head of the International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez, announced on Tuesday that the organization is working on a plan to evacuate hundreds of ships stranded in the Gulf region, amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Bloomberg quoted Dominguez as saying that the plan would only be implemented when there were clear signs of de-escalation in the region.

He explained that the ongoing discussions include organizing the departure of ships, including arranging departures according to the length of time crews stay in the area and other operational and security factors.

A representative of the London-based International Maritime Organization noted that the organization has urged ships not to cross the Strait of Hormuz without obtaining safety guarantees.

Earlier today, Greek maritime risk management company Marisex reported that some shipping companies stranded west of the Strait of Hormuz had received fraudulent messages promising safe passage in exchange for cryptocurrency.

This comes at a time of continued disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed before the outbreak of war in the Middle East.

Shafaq.com

Shortly before the end of the truce, Trump may participate in the Islamabad talks.

Reuters, citing a Pakistani source, reported on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump may participate in person or online if an agreement is reached during the ongoing talks.

The source stated that “the atmosphere is positive, and the talks are proceeding according to the set timetable, with indications of progress in the discussions.”

In the same context, an official Pakistani source revealed to Al Arabiya channel that “the delegations of the United States and Iran arrived in Islamabad simultaneously to begin a new round of talks.”

In this context, Pakistani diplomatic sources confirmed the arrival of the preliminary Iranian delegation in Islamabad, noting that the preliminary American delegation is also present in the capital.

These developments come as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions between Washington and Tehran.

The truce between Washington and Tehran is scheduled to end at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday (3:30 a.m. Thursday Tehran time).

On Monday, Islamabad asked Tehran and Washington to extend the ceasefire truce.

Shafaq.com

Iraq ranks seventh among Arab countries with high investment risks.

Iraq is among the countries with high investment risks, according to the latest equity risk premium estimates issued by New York University finance professor Aswath Damodaran.

The “equity risk premium” is one of the most prominent financial indicators that measures the level of risk in countries’ economies, as it represents the additional return that an investor demands in exchange for going to a particular market instead of safe assets. The higher this ratio is, the greater the risk and the lower the investor confidence.

According to estimates, Iraq came in seventh place in the Arab world with a premium of 13.9%, alongside Egypt and Tunisia, reflecting the continued challenges facing the investment environment in the country.

Lebanon and Sudan topped the list in the Arab world with 30.9%, followed by Syria and Yemen at 19.8%, then Somalia at 17.2%, while Bahrain recorded 11.4% and Algeria 10.1%.

Globally, Belarus, Lebanon, Sudan and Venezuela were among the most dangerous with a premium of 30.9%, while Switzerland and Sweden recorded the lowest levels of risk globally at about 4.2%.

Experts believe that Iraq remaining within these medium to high levels of risk means that the cost of attracting foreign investment is still high, which calls for accelerating economic reforms, improving the business environment, and enhancing financial stability.

Experts emphasize that reducing these risks requires practical measures that include diversifying the economy, reducing dependence on oil, and developing infrastructure, which will enhance investor confidence and raise the competitiveness of the Iraqi economy at the international level.

Shafaq.com

“Reconstruction and Development” proposes a “secret” vote for the next Iraqi Prime Minister.

Qusay Mahbouba, a leader in the “Reconstruction and Development” coalition (led by current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani), proposed on Tuesday to the Coordination Framework a new mechanism for selecting the next Prime Minister, which is to adopt a “secret vote” for the 186 members of the House of Representatives who are part of the Framework, in order to get out of the political deadlock.

Mahbouba said in a post that the coordination framework had reached a “dead end; there is no clear mechanism for resolution and no unified vision for the next stage,” considering that the solution lies in “inviting the representatives of the framework to a secret vote, as the general body, to choose the candidate for prime minister.”

He pointed out that implementing this proposal “will get the framework out of its crisis, and restore the representatives to their true role, so that the decision becomes binding and respected by all,” describing this mechanism as “a clear message confirming that democracy begins with the will of the representatives, not with the understandings of the leaders.”

This proposal comes as the coordinating framework that includes the ruling Shiite political forces in Iraq failed to hold a “decisive” meeting on Saturday and Monday with the aim of naming a candidate for the position of Prime Minister, which was postponed until Wednesday.

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.

Shafaq.com