CF expresses readiness to hold early elections after forming the next government

Shafaq News / The Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) welcomed the Parliament Speaker's decision to resume work and set next Wednesday for holding a parliamentary session.

In a statement, the Framework, an umbrella bloc of Iraqi Shiite parties mainly united by their opposition to the Sadrist movement, expressed readiness to hold early elections after forming a full-powered government, approving the federal budget, amending the electoral law, and organizing the work of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC)."

CF also called on the Kurdish forces to resolve the issue of the candidate for the Iraqi presidency.

The Iran-backed group welcomed all national forces, especially the Sadrist movement, to participate in dialogues, forming the next government and administrating the state.

Despite setting Wednesday for holding a session, Muhammad Al-Halbousi submitted today his resignation and called in a vote to approve it and elect a first deputy speaker in the next session.

A CF lawmaker, Mahmoud al-Hayyani, said that al-Halbousi resigned to avoid being a part of a government the Coordination Framework forms and evade Muqtada al-Sadr's dismay.

"Moreover, he is concerned that he might be dismissed. He has shown failure when dealing with the crisis. In fact, he was a part of the crisis. Rumors spreading about an agreement with the Coordination Framework en Priori are unfounded."

"The forces of the Coordination Framework are yet to decide their stance from al-Halboosi's resignation. However, they might tend to accept it. In the next few hours, an official statement will clarify the Framework's position on the issue." He added.