Shafaq News- Baghdad

A dispute over proposed deputy prime minister positions has exposed tensions between former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition and Qais al-Khazali’s Sadiqoun Movement within Iraq’s Shiite Coordination Framework, several sources told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

The dispute emerged during the Framework’s regular meeting on Monday, attended by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. One source said tensions rose between the two factions after al-Maliki rejected the proposal to create deputy prime minister posts.

The disagreement did not prevent the participants from taking up other issues, including updates from a Framework committee negotiating with armed factions over bringing weapons under state control. The talks have made progress, although slowly, according to the source.

The meeting also addressed efforts to complete the cabinet following the suspension of the deputy prime minister proposal. The positions had been allocated based on a political entitlement equivalent to 12 parliamentary seats, prompting discussion about a new distribution of cabinet portfolios if opposition to appointing deputy prime ministers continues.

The session produced no specific decisions, the source added.

The Coordination Framework met on Monday evening at the office of former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to discuss several priority political and legislative issues.

A second source told Shafaq News that influential Framework figures, including Badr Organization leader Hadi al-Amiri and Al-Hikma Movement leader Ammar al-Hakim, or their representatives, would meet with other political figures on Tuesday to ease tensions between State of Law and Sadiqoun.

The meeting is expected to take place on Tuesday, with the aim of moderating the rhetoric, ending the political sparring, and resolving the dispute without affecting ministries held by the State of Law Coalition, the source added.