Shafaq News- Baghdad

Nouri al-Maliki, the head of the State of Law (SLC) Coalition, has emerged as the preferred candidate for Iraq’s premiership within the Shiite Coordination Framework after caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said internal talks led to a consensus in his favor.

Firas al-Muslmawi, the spokesperson for Al-Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition (RDC), told Shafaq News that al-Sudani stepped aside following consultations inside the Shiite Coordination Framework to allow agreement on a single nominee. He described the move as a political concession aimed at preserving unity rather than a formal withdrawal from contention.

The Framework, according to Al-Muslmawi, authorized both al-Sudani and Nouri al-Maliki to agree on a nominee, leading to several meetings focused on the next government’s program and the challenges facing the country. “Those discussions ended with unanimous support within the RDC for al-Maliki.”

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“The decision to endorse Al-Maliki was based on leadership qualifications, since his experience in government makes him better positioned to manage the post.”

Despite describing his bloc as the largest within the Framework, al-Muslmawi said PM al-Sudani chose not to press that advantage, “prioritizing cohesion within the Shiite camp to avoid internal splits,” pointing out that Iraq is entering a period of political and economic change that requires “a leader with crisis-management experience.”

On timing, he confirmed that the official announcement of the Framework’s nominee would come after the election of a president and within constitutional deadlines, expressing confidence that the alliance would again succeed in forming a government.

Al-Muslmawi also revealed preliminary understandings between the RDC and SLC to form the largest parliamentary bloc within the parliament and has set up a joint parliamentary committee to coordinate positions and unify political stances.

Earlier, a source told Shafaq News that after al-Sudani stepped aside, most Framework leaders supported al-Maliki, except Ammar al-Hakim, head of the National Wisdom Movement, who sought guidance from Iraq’s top Shiite religious authority, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who declined to intervene, leaving al-Maliki as the frontrunner. Al-Hakim is now considering withdrawing from the next government if the Framework proceeds with naming a prime ministerial candidate, a separate source said.

Under Iraq’s post-2003 political system, the prime minister must be Shiite and is selected by the largest bloc in parliament. The Coordination Framework currently holds around 180 of the 329 seats, giving it a decisive role in forming the next government.