Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Islamic Dawa Party, led by former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, confirmed on Saturday that Iraq’s largest parliamentary bloc, the Coordination Framework (CF), continues to back him as the country’s next premier.

In a statement, the party insisted that Al-Maliki does not intend to withdraw, dismissing all rumors suggesting otherwise as “false and detached from reality.”

Earlier on Saturday, CF member Abu Mithaq Al-Massari informed Shafaq News that the bloc will hold an extraordinary session next week to address the stalled presidential election and consider alternative candidates for the premiership who might secure broader support than Al-Maliki.

These discussions follow warnings from the United States against Al-Maliki’s return to power, cautioning that it could halt US support and heighten instability in Iraq. A US State Department spokesperson previously noted to Shafaq News that during Al-Maliki’s previous tenure, Iraq “descended into poverty and total chaos,” stressing that a repeat must be avoided.

Al-Maliki has emerged as the CF’s official candidate, with the bloc controlling 185 of the 329 parliamentary seats. His nomination reportedly received backing from major Kurdish parties, including the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), as well as segments of the Sunni National Political Council. He previously served as Iraq’s prime minister from 2006 to 2014, a period marked by intense security and political turmoil, including the rise of the ISIS group, which captured large areas of Iraq in 2014.

Read more: Nouri Al-Maliki’s return rekindles Iraq’s divisions as Iran and the US pull apart