Abu Fadak is at the heart of the equation… The framework faces a crucial night for the premiership.
Abu Fadak is at the heart of the equation… The framework faces a crucial night for the premiership.
2026-03-09
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The leaders of the Coordination Framework are holding a meeting Monday evening at the home of the head of the Supreme Islamic Council, Humam Hamoudi, in an attempt to decide the fate of the nomination of the head of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, for the position of Prime Minister, after weeks of internal and external pressures that have delayed his transition from the Framework’s candidate to the official tasked with forming the government.
The framework, which is an alliance that includes the largest Shiite forces in parliament, occupies the position of the broadest bloc constitutionally capable of naming a candidate for prime minister after the election of the president of the republic.
Informed political sources told Shafaq News Agency that the upcoming meeting will discuss whether Maliki will remain the framework’s candidate or withdraw in favor of another consensus figure, with Maliki expected to inform the framework’s leaders of his final position during the meeting.
She added that a trend has emerged within the coalition towards agreeing on an alternative name that has not been previously put forward, with an initial exclusion of renewing the term of the current Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, if the door to nominating al-Maliki is closed.
According to the same sources, the meeting was preceded by separate meetings between prominent leaders within the framework, one of which included Ammar al-Hakim, Qais al-Khazali and Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, while another meeting brought together Nouri al-Maliki, Mohsen al-Mandalawi and Humam Hamoudi, and was also attended by the Popular Mobilization Forces leader Abu Fadak al-Muhammadawi, which is a first of its kind.
The participation of Abu Fadak al-Muhammadawi, the chief of staff of the Popular Mobilization Forces, has a special political and security significance, as it comes at the height of the regional confrontation between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other, and with the escalation of American warnings that Iraqi factions loyal to Tehran may expand the circle of targeting inside Iraq, while the American embassy in Baghdad was subjected to a missile attack during the past few days.
According to the sources, Al-Muhammadi’s presence reflected the weight of the factional and security wing within the framework consultations, especially since these parties have reservations about renewing the mandate of Muhammad Shia’ al-Sudani, based on their conviction that his position on the war was characterized by caution and an attempt to control Iraqi involvement in it, at a time when forces closer to the Popular Mobilization Forces and the factions tend towards an approach more closely aligned with Tehran’s choices at this stage.
These sources say that this movement reflects the widening divergence within the framework between a camp that insists on nominating al-Maliki and another that is pushing for a settlement that reduces the cost of confrontation with internal and external opponents.
The Coordination Framework had officially nominated Maliki on January 24, a move that opened the door to negotiations to form the new government, but the process faltered as disagreements continued over the election of the President of the Republic, the constitutional entitlement that precedes the assignment of the candidate of the largest bloc to form the government.
Any future prime minister in Iraq will face challenges in managing the balance between Iranian influence and American pressure, as well as the issue of armed factions linked to Tehran.
Pressure increased on Maliki’s nomination after US President Donald Trump announced on January 27 that Washington would not continue to support Iraq if Maliki returned to the premiership, while Maliki later said he would welcome a decision to replace his nomination if it came from the coalition that nominated him.
shafaq.com
