Iraq’s Coordination Framework is set to meet on Friday, the final day of the constitutional deadline to name a prime minister-designate, as disputes persist among Shiite factions over both the selection mechanism and the final nominee, threatening to push the country into a new constitutional crisis.
In that context, the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, led by Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, denied any US objection to his serving a second term and rejected reports that Ihsan al-Awadi had been proposed as an alternative candidate to form a government, reaffirming its backing for al-Sudani as the “sole candidate.”
The Coordination Framework has postponed its decisive meeting more than once before announcing in an official statement that the session would be moved to Friday “to allow more time for dialogue and to reach a conclusion within the constitutional period.”
Hardening positions
Mushriq al-Furaiji, a member of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, said divisions inside the Framework were marked by “hardening positions.”
He said a proposal to adopt a two-thirds vote of Framework lawmakers to choose the nominee had been rejected by Nouri al-Maliki. He added that about 114 lawmakers backed Sudani’s nomination, compared with around 50 supporting Maliki.
Firas al-Musallamawi, spokesman for the coalition, said Framework leaders had discussed adopting the principle of a two-thirds majority, but disagreement remained over whether that should be calculated from the total number of Framework leaders or from the number of their lawmakers in parliament.
By contrast, Hassan Fadam, a member of the Hikma Movement, said the final contest was likely to narrow to Sudani and Bassem al-Badri, while Zuhair al-Jalabi of the State of Law Coalition said Maliki had “not officially withdrawn,” adding that his continued candidacy was limiting the possibility of putting forward other nominees.
Saqr al-Mohammadawi, a lawmaker from the Sadiqoun bloc, said in a press statement that Framework leaders were moving to settle the nominee’s name at the upcoming meeting, adding that the option of a compromise candidate would remain on the table if differences persisted.
Fallout from the delay
The developments come after Nizar Amidi was elected president, triggering a 15-day constitutional deadline for the designation of a candidate from the largest parliamentary bloc to form a government, under Article 76 of the constitution.
During a meeting with Maliki, Amidi urged Framework forces to quickly settle on their nominee “within the constitutional timelines,” warning of the consequences of delay for political stability.
The dispute within the Framework centers on the definition of the “largest bloc” and the mechanism for choosing the nominee: either relying on a decision by Framework leaders or resorting to a vote by its roughly 185 lawmakers.
A legal debate has also emerged over what would happen if the deadline expired without a nominee being presented, given the absence of any explicit constitutional text addressing such a case.
Observers say failure to reach agreement at Friday’s meeting could return the country to political deadlock and leave the president facing complex constitutional choices, at a time when Shiite factions are confronting, for the first time since 2003, a sharp split that threatens their political cohesion.
The political crisis comes amid US pressure on Baghdad. Sources said Washington had halted a cash shipment worth about $500 million that had been headed to Iraq and had suspended parts of its security cooperation with Baghdad, in a move aimed at pressuring the Iraqi government over the actions of Iran-backed militias, according to Reuters.
Western sources also told Asharq Al-Awsat that coordination between Washington and Baghdad was currently “at its lowest level.”
