Asharq Al-Awsat has learned that former Iraqi Prime Minister and head of the State of Law coalition Nouri al-Maliki has been “fully” tasked by the Shiite pro-Iran Coordination Framework to lead negotiations over naming the country’s president, parliament speaker and PM following parliamentary elections earlier this month.
Trusted sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the candidate backed by Maliki is now tipped to be named prime minister and that he will be bound to carry out the preconditions laid down by the largest parliamentary bloc yielded by the polls. The Framework won the greatest number of seats in the November 11 elections.
The Islamic Dawa party, headed by Maliki, had on Saturday named him as its candidate for the post of prime minister.
However, the sources said the move was aimed at strengthening his position as negotiator and not his candidacy for the PM post, which Maliki had actually relinquished in favor of a more “acceptable” candidate.
The sources said Maliki’s candidate for PM may not be from the Dawa party but has already garnered “great” support among Shiite powers following negotiations between the Shiite parties that emerged victorious in the elections.
Even incumbent PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has garnered support among the Shiites. Sudani has not hidden his ambitions for a second term in office, despite opposition from Maliki and other Shiites.
Maliki had on Saturday held talks with the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Erbil over candidates for president, speaker and premier.
Any announcement over the position of PM will be made after an agreement is reached with the Kurdish and Sunni forces over the other two posts.
Maliki had last week met with Taqadum party leader Mohammed al-Halbousi, the greatest Sunni winner in the polls, to discuss speeding up the government formation process.
Maliki also met with Kurdish leader Masoud al-Barzani, saying the formation of a government hinges on consensus. He hoped it will be formed a month after the elections.
He urged the Kurds to speed up in naming candidates for the presidency and the Sunnis in naming their candidate for parliament speaker.
The sources said the candidates must have the approval of the Kurdish and Sunni forces, as well as Washington and Tehran.
They added, however, that the whoever the candidates are, the Coordination Framework is mainly concerned that they will carry out the government’s policy, effectively ensuring that executive power remains with the Shiites, who already make up the majority in parliament.
Among the conditions imposed by the Framework: the candidate must not form a new political party or rival Shiite parties for influence; he must work on tackling the financial crisis and rising public debt; and restore calm in the streets and prevent the eruption of possible protests led by the Sadrist movement or civil society groups.
