The process of forming a government in Iraq has reached a near dead end, after parliament failed for a second time to convene a session dedicated to electing a new president of the republic and tasking a prime minister. This comes amid continuing disputes within the ruling Shiite alliance following Washington’s rejection of the re-nomination of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a third term.
In an effort to contain the crisis, the Coordination Framework, which holds the constitutional right to form the government, is undertaking internal and external moves, while also exploring alternative scenarios that could open the door to other figures with broader domestic and international acceptance.
Salam al-Zubaidi, spokesman for the Victory Coalition led by former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, told Alhurra that a political delegation visited the Kurdistan Region to discuss a number of issues, including the possibility of Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani playing a mediating role. The effort would draw on Barzani’s good relations with the United States in an attempt to “melt the stalemate or thaw the ice in international relations” tied to the government formation file.
The delegation included outgoing Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and others, who visited both Erbil and Sulaymaniyah and met with Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and Bafel Talabani, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
The visit came days after a meeting between Maliki and the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Joshua Harris. It appears that the meeting did not lead to any change in the American position opposing Maliki’s nomination.
According to al-Zubaidi, the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires informed Maliki during an official meeting that Washington “respects Iraq as a sovereign state and respects its choice to nominate him,” and affirmed that Maliki is “a respected figure with weight in the political process and a history we respect.” However, the American message was clear that “the current stage requires that there be another person” to head the government.
Al-Zubaidi explained that Maliki’s response emphasized that “the nomination is an internal Iraqi matter,” and that it is “not a personal choice but the choice of the Coordination Framework, which has the constitutional right to nominate whomever it deems appropriate.” The U.S. Chargé d’Affaires, however, responded by saying: “We respect this decision and democracy, but in return we will withdraw support and cooperation in all its forms” if this option is pursued.
This meeting took place on Saturday, one day before the parliamentary session that had been scheduled to elect the president of the republic and task the prime minister.
Yet for the second time, the Iraqi parliament failed to convene the session, influenced by the veto imposed last week by U.S. President Donald Trump on Maliki’s nomination to head the next government.
Maliki had previously announced his “categorical rejection” of what he called “blatant American interference in Iraq’s internal affairs,” in response to statements by Trump warning Iraqi politicians about the repercussions of choosing Maliki on relations between Baghdad and Washington.
Sources familiar with the negotiations to form the Iraqi government told Alhurra that the reason the session did not convene this time was the dispute over Maliki’s nomination, unlike the previous session, which failed due to disagreements among Kurdish parties over agreeing on a candidate for the presidency.
One of the sources, an Iraqi lawmaker, told Alhurra that the American rejection of Maliki intensified disagreements among the parties of the Coordination Framework, several of which had reservations about Maliki’s nomination even before Trump’s veto.
The lawmaker, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, added that opposition to or reservations about Maliki’s nomination—whether expressed publicly or privately—have grown both within the Coordination Framework and among other Sunni and Kurdish parties in parliament.
Efforts are currently underway to hold another session next Thursday, but it will depend on whether the issue of Maliki’s nomination is resolved within the Coordination Framework, the lawmaker said.
The Coordination Framework—a coalition of Iraqi Shiite political forces that won a majority in last November’s elections and is constitutionally entitled to nominate the prime minister—is seeking to exit the crisis with minimal losses.
In a conversation with Alhurra, a member of the Coordination Framework, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly, said the bloc is now in an unenviable position: caught between concern over the consequences of Trump’s threats for relations between Baghdad and Washington, and an unwillingness to yield to “American dictates.”
So far, a large group within the Coordination Framework remains insistent on nominating Maliki. But that could change at any moment up to Thursday, as there are attempts to persuade Maliki to withdraw and nominate another figure, the same source added, noting that efforts are underway to convene a meeting of the Coordination Framework on Wednesday to discuss Maliki’s nomination, “which does not enjoy consensus within this alliance.”
Salam al-Zubaidi, spokesman for the Victory Coalition, said the disagreement within the Coordination Framework is not about Nouri al-Maliki as a person as much as it is about nomination mechanisms and their political and international repercussions. He warned that Iraq cannot afford, at this stage, any rupture with the international community or the imposition of new sanctions.
He stressed that “the Victory Coalition is not against Maliki as an individual, but against mechanisms that lead to a split in the unity of the Coordination Framework,” underscoring the need to reach “consensus, or at least agreement,” within the ruling Shiite alliance to choose a candidate for prime minister.
Al-Zubaidi also revealed several scenarios under consideration within the Coordination Framework should Maliki withdraw his candidacy.
The first is choosing between Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and Haider al-Abadi. The second is returning to a list of nine candidates that had previously been narrowed down, taking into account that the nominee should enjoy “international approval” and face no external objections. The third scenario involves opening the door to new figures who are “more acceptable,” potentially through a nomination by Maliki himself.
He noted that these scenarios “have not yet been formally discussed within the Coordination Framework,” but could be raised if “Maliki becomes convinced to step aside from the nomination to protect the country’s higher interests,” amid mounting political and economic pressures surrounding the government formation process.
Ghassan Taqi
A journalist specializing in Iraqi affairs, he has worked with the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) since 2015. He previously spent several years with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, as well as various Iraqi and Arab media outlets.
