Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) should adopt a secret ballot among its parliamentary members to select the next prime minister and break the political deadlock, an Iraqi lawmaker proposed on Tuesday.

MP Qusay Mahbouba of the Reconstruction and Development (Al Ima’ar wal Tanmiya) Coalition, led by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, argued that the bloc —the largest in parliament with about 162 of 329 seats— has reached a “dead end” due to the absence of a clear decision-making mechanism and a unified vision.

A secret vote on the nominee, he suggested, could help resolve internal divisions and restore the role of lawmakers, “ensuring a binding outcome that reflects parliamentary will rather than leadership-level agreements.”

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The Framework again failed on Monday to agree on a candidate, with Bassem Al-Badri emerging as a leading compromise contender, amid disagreements over cabinet portfolios and independent bodies, including the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a source told Shafaq News.

Under Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing system, the presidency is held by a Kurd, the premiership by a Shiite, and the speakership by a Sunni Arab. Parliament elected Nizar Amedi as president on April 11, initiating the process to nominate a prime minister. The CF has 15 days to present its candidate, after which the nominee has 30 days to form a government and secure parliamentary confidence under Article 76 of the constitution.

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