Spokesman hints that Maliki, Amiri, and the Kurds could form Iraqi government

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Former Prime Minister and head of the State of Law Coalition Nouri al-Maliki and head of al-Fatih Coalition Hadi al-Amiri discussed the formation of the next Iraqi government in a meeting on Thursday with both delegations from leading parties in the Kurdistan Region.

“Maliki and Amiri are working to form a large national alliance in parliament to lead the future Iraqi government,” said State of Law Coalition media office director Hashim Rikabi to al-Sumaria news agency. He made sure to point out that they had met with the Kurdish representatives, appearing to suggest that an alliance between them could be imminent.

The delegation from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), headed by politburo secretary Fazil Mirani, arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday and met with all leading coalitions to discuss the next government of Iraq.

The following day, one from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), led by the party’s Executive Secretary Mala Bakhtiar, also landed in Baghdad for the same purpose.

The two delegations held a joint press conference on Wednesday in which they reiterated the importance of Kurdish unity in parliament, in hopes of obtaining a strong presence in the next cabinet.

“The talks between Nouri al-Maliki and the other parties have reached an advanced stage,” Rasul Razi, said an MP from the State of Law on Tuesday, emphasizing that “minor touches” remain before the announcement of the largest parliamentary faction.

Amiri’s coalition came in second place in the election with 47 seats, with State of Law (26), KDP (25), and PUK (18) in fourth, fifth, and eighth places, respectively.

Editing by John J. Catherine