Iraq’s Shiite CF steps up meetings to finalize PM pick
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Parties within the Coordination Framework (CF), Iraq’s largest bloc in parliament, are continuing internal meetings to agree on a mechanism for forming the next government and selecting a prime-ministerial nominee, the Tasmeem Alliance said on Wednesday.
The Alliance Leader Amer Al-Fayez told Shafaq News that the discussions aim to reach a unified position before setting a date for an internal vote.
He stressed that reports about the presence of armed-faction leaders at the CF’s latest meeting were “inaccurate.”
The Framework has already narrowed its choices for the next prime minister to three figures—caretaker premier Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, former prime minister Haider Al-Abadi, and a third undisclosed contender—according to Salam Al-Zubaidi, spokesperson for the Al-Nasr (Victory) Coalition led by Al-Abadi.
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Iraq recently completed its sixth parliamentary election since 2003, with voter turnout exceeding 56 percent. Preliminary results released by the Independent High Electoral Commission showed the Reconstruction and Development Coalition leading with 46 seats, followed by the State of Law Coalition with 29 and Sadiqoon with 27, while the Tasmeem Alliance won 6 seats.
Under Iraq’s power-sharing arrangement, Shia parties nominate the prime minister, Sunnis choose the parliamentary speaker, and Kurds select the president. With 148 seats, the Coordination Framework is now positioned to drive negotiations over the three top federal posts.
