Shafaq News– Baghdad
Iraq’s Taqaddum (Progress) Party, led by former parliament speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi, on Tuesday indicated it will not participate in any future government headed by figures it believes “would revive sectarian divisions,” an implicit rejection of prime ministerial nominee Nouri Al-Maliki.
In a statement, the party ruled out supporting or joining a cabinet led by personalities it argues would “contribute to extremism, terrorism, recurring crises, and international and regional isolation,” urging leaders of the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) to form a government rooted in “broad national consensus.”
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Any prime minister, it stressed, must secure cross-sectarian political and social support and demonstrate the capacity to navigate “a critical and sensitive regional and global phase.” Taqaddum also called for a government oriented toward strengthening relations with Iraq’s Arab surroundings and international partners to manage rising economic and financial pressures.
The CF, Iraq’s largest parliamentary bloc controlling more than 185 seats in the 329-member parliament, named Al-Maliki as its nominee last week. Al-Maliki, whose State of Law Coalition won 29 seats in the most recent elections, previously served two terms as prime minister between 2006 and 2014.
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Earlier, the National Political Council (NPC), which represents Sunni parties elected in 2025, rejected Al-Maliki’s candidacy, with the exception of the Al-Azm alliance led by Muthanna Al-Samarrai and the Al-Hasm alliance headed by Defense Minister Thabit Al-Abbasi, both of which expressed support.
Under Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing arrangement, the presidency is allocated to a Kurd, the premiership to a Shiite Arab, and the parliamentary speakership to a Sunni Arab. The constitution requires parliament to elect a president within one month of its first session, a deadline set to expire on January 28. A source told Shafaq News that the parliamentary session scheduled for today to elect the president was postponed “until further notice.”
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