Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Reconstruction and Development Coalition (Al-Ima'ar wal-Tanmiya) confirmed Monday it is strongly pushing its leader, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as its candidate to form the next Iraqi government, with a decision potentially expected within 48 hours.

Khaled Walid, a senior coalition official, told Shafaq News that al-Sudani currently commands broad support within the Coordination Framework, with more than nine factions backing his nomination for a second term, adding that support for al-Sudani also extends beyond the Framework to other Iraqi political parties.

"We believe the next 48 hours could be decisive regarding al-Sudani's mandate to form the new Iraqi government, particularly given the challenges facing Iraq, which certainly require a government with broad political cover capable of overcoming the crises the country is going through," Walid said.

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The Coordination Framework, a bloc grouping predominantly Shiite political factions, is scheduled to hold a decisive meeting Monday evening to discuss nine candidates for the prime ministerial post, according to Amer al-Fayez, head of the Tasmeem Alliance.

A political source said Saturday that Basem al-Badri is being considered as a compromise candidate for the post within the Framework.

Read more: Iraq Government Formation: The Constitution that cannot enforce its own deadlines

The Framework, which holds the largest bloc in parliament, was formally tasked by the Speaker of the Council of Representatives on April 11 to nominate a prime ministerial candidate within 15 days. Once a candidate is approved, the designated premier has 30 days to present a cabinet and secure a parliamentary confidence vote, in accordance with Article 76 of the Iraqi constitution.