2026-04-16T10:53:30+00:00
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Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraqi Shiite leaders have agreed on a mechanism to select
the country’s next prime minister, centering on a two-thirds majority rule, a
source within the Coordination Framework (CF) told Shafaq News on Thursday.
Under the emerging formula, any candidate securing the
backing of eight out of 12 senior Shiite leaders would effectively achieve
consensus, paving the way for the remaining factions to align and complete the
required two-thirds support.
The proposal comes as negotiations within the CF, Iraq’s
largest parliamentary bloc, continue to shape the government formation process.
A CF meeting initially scheduled for Wednesday was postponed after several
Framework leaders boycotted the session.
Earlier this week, Iraq’s State of Law Coalition rejected
reports that its leader, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, might withdraw
his candidacy for the premiership. Coalition member Zuhair al-Jalabi conveyed
to Shafaq News that al-Maliki “has not and will not step aside for any of the
names circulating in the media,” describing such claims as inaccurate. The remarks came after Qusay Mahbuba of the Reconstruction
and Development Coalition (Al-Imaar wal-Tanmiya), led by caretaker Prime
Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, suggested that al-Maliki could step aside in
favor of Basim al-Badri, raising questions over whether such a move would
signal a political exit or risk fracturing the CF.
Under Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing system, the presidency
is held by a Kurd, the premiership by a Shiite, and the speakership by a Sunni
Arab. Parliament elected Nizar Amedi as president on April 11, triggering the
constitutional process to name a prime minister. According to Article 76 of the
constitution, the CF has 15 days from that date to nominate its candidate,
after which the designated prime minister has 30 days to form a government and
secure parliamentary confidence.
Read more: Al-Maliki sounds different this time — the world is not convinced yet