Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Shiite factions have proposed Accountability and Justice Commission chief Basim Al-Badri as a compromise candidate for prime minister, but former premier Nouri Al-Maliki rejected the idea, a source told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

Al-Maliki opposed the nomination on the grounds that the candidate lacked “broad political support.”

Factions within the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), parliament's largest bloc, are now working to agree on an alternative nominee as talks continue to form a new government, the source said.

The bloc is reviewing several names after failing to reach consensus, the source added, noting that Al-Maliki, leader of the State of Law Coalition, has faced US opposition. Disagreements also persist over whether to grant a second term to caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, with some factions considering alternatives such as Bahaa Al-Araji, a former deputy prime minister.

Parliament has scheduled April 11 for a session to elect a president, a step required before naming a prime minister, though similar constitutional timelines have often been exceeded during prolonged government formation negotiations.

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