Coordination Framework Nominates Nouri al-Maliki for Iraqi Premiership
Sources say Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has withdrawn his candidacy, clearing the way for broad backing of the former prime minister within the Shiite alliance.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Iraq’s Shiite Coordination Framework has moved to nominate former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki as its candidate for the post of prime minister, after incumbent Mohammed Shia al-Sudani formally withdrew from the race, according to informed political sources.
A senior political source told Kurdistan24 on Saturday that Sudani, leader of the Construction and Development Alliance, decided to relinquish his right to seek a second term in favor of Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition.
The move reportedly came alongside Maliki securing the approval of the majority of factions within the Coordination Framework, a powerful umbrella grouping of Shiite political forces.
The source said the decision reflects a shift in internal political calculations within the alliance, leading to a change in the list of candidates for the premiership amid ongoing negotiations over the formation of Iraq’s next government.
According to the source, nearly all factions within the Coordination Framework have expressed their consent to backing Maliki as the alliance’s nominee for prime minister. However, one notable reservation was raised by Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the National Wisdom Movement.
The source clarified that Hakim has not rejected Maliki’s candidacy outright but proposed that the issue be referred to Iraq’s senior Shiite religious authority for consultation before a final decision is made, reflecting the sensitivity of the post and the broader political implications.
Separately, Othman al-Shaibani, a senior figure in the State of Law Coalition, said in a Facebook post that all components of the Coordination Framework had agreed to nominate Nouri al-Maliki for the premiership, underscoring what he described as a consensus within the alliance.
The developments came as the Coordination Framework confirmed it had held its 258th regular meeting earlier on Saturday to continue discussions on forming the next government and finalizing the nomination for prime minister, in line with constitutional requirements for the upcoming phase.
In a statement issued by its media office, the framework said the meeting was marked by what it described as a positive atmosphere and responsible discussions. The talks, according to the statement, resulted in “important developments and advanced indicators” consistent with the needs of political stability and what it termed the country’s supreme national interest.
The statement did not disclose specific decisions or names but indicated that negotiations had reached a more advanced stage regarding the selection of the next prime minister, amid continued efforts by Shiite political forces to present a unified position.
Who is Nouri al-Maliki?
Nouri Kamel Mohammed Hassan al-Maliki was born on June 20, 1950, in the central Iraqi province of Karbala. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of Fundamentals of Religion in Baghdad and a master’s degree in Arabic language from Salahaddin University in Erbil.
Maliki joined the Islamic Dawa Party in 1970 and left Iraq in 1979 after the Ba'athist regime issued death sentences against party members. He has led the State of Law Coalition since 2009.
Following the 2003 regime change in Iraq, Maliki rose to prominence in post-Saddam politics, serving as Iraq’s prime minister for two consecutive terms from 2006 to 2010 and from 2010 to 2014. He later held the position of vice president of the republic between 2014 and 2015 and again from 2016 to 2018.
The renewed push to nominate Maliki comes as Iraq’s political blocs continue negotiations over government formation, amid deep divisions over leadership, governance priorities, and the balance of power within the country’s fragmented political system.