Iraq’s CF defies Trump, stands by Al-Maliki nomination
Shafaq News– Baghdad
Leaders of Iraq’s Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), the largest parliamentary bloc, on Wednesday, reaffirmed their backing of former prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki to form the next government, rejecting comments by US President Donald Trump as a “violation of Iraqi sovereignty.”
A senior Framework source told Shafaq News that bloc leaders convened at Al-Maliki’s office to respond to Trump’s public opposition to his nomination, agreeing to push for a parliamentary session next week to elect a president and to press Kurdish parties to unify behind a single candidate for the post. During the meeting, leaders rejected the “US interference in Iraq’s internal affairs,” the source said, and stressed that Trump’s remarks “crossed sovereignty lines.”
The meeting followed an emergency invitation issued a day earlier to address Washington’s stance on Iraq’s political process. Leaders also discussed the presidency file, amid concerns over delays to the broader government-formation timeline.
The Islamic Dawa Party, to which Al-Maliki belongs, warned the Coordination Framework against opening a “breach” in its decision that could deepen instability, recalling years marked by bombings and assassinations. The party said the largest parliamentary bloc had exercised its constitutional right to nominate a prime minister and that progress stalled only after the presidential vote was postponed. Al-Maliki, meanwhile, said he “categorically rejects” Trump’s remarks and will continue his bid based on the Framework’s decision.
Trump triggered the backlash yesterday, saying Al-Maliki’s return “should not be allowed,” accusing him of presiding over a period in which Iraq “slid into poverty and chaos.” He warned Washington would halt assistance if Al-Maliki were re-elected, arguing it would undermine Iraq’s prospects for “success, prosperity, or freedom.”
CF announced, on January 24, that it had nominated Al-Maliki to form the next government, setting off an intensifying political standoff as domestic reactions continue to mount.
Read more: Nouri Al-Maliki’s return rekindles Iraq’s divisions as Iran and the US pull apart
