Caretaker PM Al-Sudani, SLC leader Al-Maliki step aside in Iraq’s premiership race

Shafaq News– Baghdad

Two leading contenders for Iraq’s next prime minister, caretaker premier Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and State of Law Coalition leader Nouri Al-Maliki, have withdrawn in favor of Ihsan Al-Awadi, the director of Al-Sudani’s office, a source said on Saturday.

The source told Shafaq News that backing Al-Awadi as a compromise figure would not affect the shares or positions of the various factions within the Framework, as he is not affiliated with any party inside the Shiite bloc. However, bloc leaders have not yet been formally notified of his nomination.

The issue is expected to be raised at the next meeting of Shiite leaders, the source explained. If consensus is reached, Al-Awadi would move forward as the candidate to form the next government; if not, the Framework will continue consultations to nominate a figure acceptable to all parties.

Meanwhile, Mukhtar Al-Mousawi, a lawmaker from the CF, told our agency that the bloc could oppose Al-Awadi’s nomination, arguing that Iraq “needs a leader for this phase.”

Al-Awadi’s role as an office director, he added, did not meet the requirements of the premiership, which “demands experience” in crisis management and handling regional and international affairs.

Since the ratification of the November 2025 election results, the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), parliament’s largest bloc, has been holding talks to agree on a nominee for the premiership. However, government formation has dragged on months after the November 2025 elections, though Najaf’s Friday preacher Sadr Al-Din Al-Qubanji earlier dismissed there being division within the CF regarding the matter.

Under Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing arrangement, the presidency is reserved for a Kurd, the premiership for a Shiite, and the speakership for a Sunni Arab.

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