Anticipation is high for the meeting of the coordinating framework to decide on the presidency and to have the final say regarding al-Maliki’s candidacy.
Anticipation is high for the meeting of the coordinating framework to decide on the presidency and to have the final say regarding al-Maliki’s candidacy.
2-23-2026
Information/Baghdad…
Political circles are awaiting a meeting of the Coordination Framework to resolve the issue of the presidency, either by proceeding with a candidate agreed upon within the Kurdish bloc or by seeking a broader national consensus. The meeting will also address the issue of Nouri al-Maliki’s candidacy for prime minister, either by expressing full support for him or by withdrawing his candidacy and considering another presidential candidate. This comes despite the fact that a majority within the Framework supports his candidacy, in addition to the two Kurdish parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which have not announced a boycott or rejection of the Framework’s nominee for the next government.
Hussain al-Sadiq, a member of the State of Law Coalition, told Al-Maalouma, “Maliki has become the candidate of the largest bloc within the Framework, and any potential change in the nomination cannot be made unilaterally by the State of Law Coalition, but rather through a comprehensive political agreement among the Framework’s constituent parties.”
He added, “The existence of objections from some Sunni and Kurdish forces to al-Maliki’s nomination is natural given the political differences. However, the final decision rests solely with the forces within the framework, as political contacts are still ongoing between the blocs to reach final understandings regarding the formation of the next government. The multiplicity of opinions within the political arena does not signify a crisis, but rather reflects the nature of the negotiations aimed at bridging viewpoints.”
For his part, Uday Abdul-Hadi, a member of the Coordination Framework, confirmed to Al-Maalomah that “the available indicators suggest that the framework meeting, with all its known components, will be held in the next few hours to discuss important issues, most notably resolving the issue of electing the president and calling on the Kurdish forces to reach an understanding among themselves to present a candidate or agree to proceed within the national framework in parliament to choose one of the candidates for this important position.”
He explained that “the next stage will be tasking the candidate of the largest bloc with forming the government. The leaks circulating on social media and news sites in recent hours regarding al-Maliki’s withdrawal are inaccurate, and there are no such indications.”
Abdul-Hadi indicated that “the coordination framework is authorized to determine the nature of the third phase of government formation, and an official statement will be issued following the meeting to clarify what was agreed upon regarding the files in general.”
In a related matter, former MP Arif al-Hamami explained to Al-Maalomah that “the issue of the Kurds not nominating a candidate for the presidency is not related to the issue of al-Maliki’s candidacy for prime minister. If the Kurdish political bloc has used al-Maliki’s candidacy as a reason for not nominating a presidential candidate, then it should clarify its position.”
He continued, “The head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Masoud Barzani, is among the first supporters of al-Maliki’s candidacy for prime minister, and the other parties within the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan have no problem regarding the prime ministerial candidate.”
He pointed out that “some biased parties have been spreading interpretations aimed at linking the delay in nominating a presidential candidate to al-Maliki’s candidacy for prime minister.”
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