Shafaq News – Baghdad / Washington

Concerns are growing inside Washington policy circles over whether Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani would use a second term to tighten his grip on power, amid warnings that Iraq could face a repeat of Nouri al-Maliki’s centralization era.

An analysis by the Arab Center in Washington said Iraq’s post-election landscape points toward another broad coalition, with competing Shia factions again deciding who forms the government. While the system remains flawed, the report noted that Iraqis are betting on continued stability as regional tensions escalate.

The assessment credits al-Sudani with keeping Iraq out of the Israel–Iran conflict but warns that his personal attraction to authority and alleged civil-rights violations have alarmed political partners. The report cited accusations of surveillance against rivals and patronage appointments inside the premiership—actions critics compare to al-Maliki’s second-term expansion of power.

According to the analysis, al-Sudani believes his popularity and infrastructure programs will secure the Coordination Framework’s backing, but his narrow electoral gains mean convincing Iraq’s elite—not voters—will shape his political future. A second term, the report argued, remains rare in Iraq and carries the risk of entrenching authority in an already fragile system.

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