Iraq’s CF to drop al-Maliki as PM nominee

2026-03-03 - 21:24

Shafaq News- Baghdad Iraq’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) agreed to withdraw Nouri al-Maliki’s nomination for prime minister, according to a senior source familiar with Tuesday’s meeting, marking a decisive shift in a stalled government formation process. The source told Shafaq News that coalition leaders reached a consensus to pull al-Maliki’s candidacy, with an official statement expected within hours. Intensive talks are set to begin over the next two days to agree on a new nominee capable of securing backing from the Framework as well as Sunni and Kurdish blocs. Read more: Nouri Al-Maliki’s new doctrine for power: Pragmatism over defiance? Al-Maliki, along with senior figures Hammam Hamoudi and Abu Alaa al-Walaei, was absent from the meeting, the source said. The decision follows weeks of internal divisions within the Framework over al-Maliki’s return to the premiership, amid US warnings about the political and security implications of his selection. Read more: Iraq’s next Prime Minister held hostage by US-Iran standoff