Iraq’s Shiite Bloc Delays Decision on PM Nominee Until Friday

(MENAFN) Iraq’s Shiite-led Coordination Framework has postponed its decision on choosing a candidate for prime minister until Friday, according to a statement issued by the bloc’s General Secretariat on Wednesday.

The announcement said the meeting, originally intended to finalize a nominee, was pushed back “to create more room for dialogue and to reach a conclusion within the constitutional timeframe,” as reported by official Iraqi media.

Earlier in the week, the bloc’s Secretary-General Abbas al-Amiri had indicated that the selection process was expected to conclude on Wednesday, April 22, describing internal discussions as “positive,” although no agreement was reached.

Despite holding several rounds of meetings, the Coordination Framework has so far failed to settle on a single candidate for the premiership.

Iraq’s constitutional process requires that the president task the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc with forming a government within 15 days following the election of a new president, under Article 76.

The Coordination Framework, which is considered the largest parliamentary alliance with approximately 130 to 140 seats out of 329, plays a decisive role in forming the next government and selecting the prime minister.

The bloc had previously put forward former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as its candidate in January, a move that reportedly faced external opposition, including from US President Donald Trump, who urged Iraq not to proceed with his appointment.

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