Shafaq News– Baghdad
Iraq’s State of Law Coalition (SLC), led by former prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki, asserted on Sunday that more than 260 lawmakers from across political blocs and social components support his bid to assume the premiership.
SLC member Zuhair Al-Jalabi told Shafaq News that “a broad parliamentary majority strongly backs Al-Maliki’s candidacy,” downplaying objections raised by some Sunni political actors as “ineffective.”
The opposing groups, Al-Jalabi added, operate “as commercial blocs rather than political ones,” arguing that their stance reflects concerns over losing economic interests accumulated in recent years. He confirmed that these parties “know Al-Maliki well” and are aware of what he described as his firm approach toward confronting actions outside the law.
He maintained that the nomination faces no regional or international reservations and “has been welcomed, with the coming days set to make this more evident.”
The remarks follow a decision by the Coordination Framework, an umbrella alliance of Shiite parties holding more than 185 seats in Iraq’s 329-member parliament, which nominated Al-Maliki as its candidate for prime minister on Saturday. Al-Maliki, whose SLC secured 29 seats in the recent parliamentary elections, previously led two governments between 2006 and 2014.
Read more: Nouri Al-Maliki: A name that still divides and tests the politics of memory
On the Sunni side, the National Political Council (NPC), which brings together Sunni parties represented in parliament, urged the Framework to assume a “historic responsibility” when selecting Iraq’s next prime minister, warning against repeating leadership approaches that failed to ensure stability or restore public trust, without naming any candidate. However, Al-Hasm and Al-Azm alliances voiced support for Al-Maliki’s nomination, stressing that the NPC’s statement “does not represent the council’s position and does not reflect the views of all its members.”
Read more: Iraq’s Government talks reopen the 2010–2014 political memory