The Sudanese coalition: Passing al-Maliki is very difficult, and he must convince parties within and outside the political process.
The Sudanese coalition: Passing al-Maliki is very difficult, and he must convince parties within and outside the political process.
2026-01-11 05:37
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The Reconstruction and Development Coalition, led by outgoing Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, confirmed on Sunday that choosing the leader of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, to head the new government is “difficult” because it requires a consensus from several political parties and others outside the political process.
Coalition leader Mohammed al-Khalidi told Shafaq News Agency, “The head of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, must convince the forces of the Coordination Framework, the other political parties, the external forces, as well as the Sadrist movement and the religious authority, to pass himself as a candidate for prime minister. Without achieving that, it is very difficult for al-Maliki to reach the premiership.”
He pointed out that his leader, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, “is still the strongest and closest to a second term.”
A source within the Shiite coordination framework revealed today to Shafaq News Agency that the forces that met on Saturday evening at the home of the leader of the Iraqi Foundation Coalition, Mohsen al-Mandalawi, sought clarification on the reasons that prompted the outgoing Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, to withdraw from the nomination.
He explained that Al-Sudani “summarized the reasons by saying that Iraq’s interest transcends partisan and personal interests, and therefore the Dawa Party proposed putting forward the head of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, as a candidate from within the framework.”
According to the source, Maliki’s nomination was supported by most of the Coordination Committee leaders, with the exception of the leader of the Wisdom Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, who sought the opinion of the religious authority and sent a message to the religious authority in Najaf. However, the latter renewed its refusal to interfere in the nomination of the prime minister, and thus the competition became limited to Maliki only.
Since the ratification of the election results held in November 2025, the Coordination Framework has begun holding meetings and conducting discussions among its forces and with other parties to decide on the position of Prime Minister, which is allocated to the Shiite component according to the custom in place after 2003.
shafaq.com
