Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq’s Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), the largest bloc in parliament, will meet on Monday to push forward negotiations on naming the next prime minister and to review progress in talks with other political factions.

A senior CF official told Shafaq News on Sunday that the session is expected to finalize the selection criteria and the shortlist, though no nominee will be chosen yet.

The source noted that the bloc “needs more time to reach consensus,” with a final decision anticipated by mid-next month. Monday’s meeting aims to complete all preliminary procedures and approve the shortlist.

On Saturday, the committee reported that the current list includes candidates from several blocs, parties, and a number of independents, but emphasized that most still do not meet the required criteria.

Read more: Baghdad revisits premiership lineup amid shifts inside ruling bloc

The Framework initially required the next prime minister to be politically unaffiliated and not the leader of any party or bloc. Those restrictions were later relaxed, a political source told Shafaq News at the time, noting that the original terms also barred anyone who had previously held or run for the post, or who headed an independent party or faction.

According to the same source, the updated agreement now centers on integrity: "the nominee must have no legal cases, corruption allegations, or unresolved files, and any candidate facing such issues will be automatically excluded."

Prominent contenders still under consideration include caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, State of Law leader Nouri Al-Maliki, Accountability and Justice Commission head Basim Al-Badri, and newly added Basra Governor Asaad Al-Eidani. Intelligence chief Hamid Al-Shatri is expected to be dropped from the list.

Under Iraq’s power-sharing system, the premiership goes to a Shia figure, the speakership to a Sunni, and the presidency to a Kurd. With 148 of parliament’s 329 seats, the CF remains pivotal in shaping all three appointments.

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