Shafaq News- Baghdad

Former intelligence chief Hamid al-Shatri has been rejected as a compromise candidate for prime minister by State of Law coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki and allied factions, a political source told Shafaq News on Sunday.

The source indicated that al-Maliki and partners, including blocs with armed wings, held a meeting to discuss the premiership and concluded by ruling out al-Shatri.

Efforts to reach an agreement remain ongoing, with the Coordination Framework (CF) -which holds around 162 of parliament’s 329 seats- continuing intensive bilateral and trilateral talks to finalize a nominee, according to Aqeel al-Rudaini, spokesperson for the Victory (al-Nasr) Coalition, led by former prime minister Haider al-Abadi, who confirmed that al-Abadi is among the shortlisted candidates under consideration.

The political process has been marked by deadlock, with formal Coordination Framework meetings suspended pending consensus, while informal consultations continue among key leaders. Earlier attempts to persuade al-Maliki and current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to withdraw their candidacies have failed, with both figures maintaining their positions.

Under Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing arrangement, the presidency goes to a Kurd, the premiership to a Shiite, and the speakership to a Sunni Arab. Parliament elected Nizar Amedi as president on April 11, triggering the process to select a prime minister. The Framework faces its constitutional deadline today to present a candidate, after which the nominee has 30 days to form a government and secure parliamentary confidence under Article 76 of the constitution.

Read more: Iraq’s CF weighs consensus candidate for premiership