Source: Al-Sudani, Al-Maliki dispute stems from rivalry over premiership
Shafaq News- Baghdad
The Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shiite political forces in Iraq, has intervened to contain an escalating dispute between former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki, informed sources told Shafaq News on Monday.
A mediation by Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the National Wisdom Movement, in coordination with Hadi al-Ameri, head of the Badr Organization, helped ease tensions between the two political figures, the sources said.
The rivalry began after the latest parliamentary elections, when al-Sudani and al-Maliki competed over the right to form the next government. According to the sources, the dispute continued until the Coordination Framework agreed to nominate al-Zaidi for the premiership.
Recent verbal confrontations between leaders and lawmakers from the two camps further intensified the dispute, turning their political competition into an open public disagreement.
State of Law Coalition figures called for holding al-Sudani accountable over alleged damage to public funds. In response, members of al-Sudani's Reconstruction and Development Coalition called for al-Maliki to face trial over the fall of several Iraqi provinces to ISIS in 2014 and the killing of thousands of soldiers in the Speicher massacre.
The sources said the accusations angered both sides and fueled public exchanges, despite an understanding among political leaders against referring former prime ministers to the judiciary unless they were directly responsible for causing harm or committing a crime.
They added that some parties had attempted to deepen divisions between influential Coordination Framework leaders and weaken the alliance, but those efforts failed. Leaders within the Shiite political establishment had agreed that internal disputes would not affect the framework's overall political direction or operations, the sources said.
The dispute also drew public statements from figures affiliated with both camps.
Khalid al-Marsoumi, a member of al-Sudani's Coalition, called for al-Maliki to stand trial, saying he should serve as "an example for those who destroyed society."
Hisham al-Rikabi, director of the media office of the State of Law Coalition leader, rejected the calls, saying: "Enough hypocrisy and political grandstanding. Those speaking today about the fall of provinces and sectarian strife should stop exploiting the suffering of Iraqis in their political disputes."
