Iraq’s PM Sudani withdraws bid for second term, coalition says

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition (RDC) announced on Monday that Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani has withdrawn his candidacy for prime minister, conceding the post in favor of former premier and head of the State of Law Coalition Nouri al-Maliki, in a move aimed at breaking a political deadlock within the Shiite Coordination Framework.

The decision was taken to end the ongoing stalemate over the premiership, Firas al-Maslamawi, the RDC coalition’s spokesperson, told Rudaw on Monday.

“The purpose of the withdrawal was to break the political deadlock and stalemate within the Coordination Framework regarding the position of Prime Minister,” Maslamawi said.

He stressed that the move was not a personal decision, “but rather a decision by the leadership of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, and it was passed unanimously.”

Maslamawi said the coalition had prioritized national interests over partisan considerations, describing the withdrawal as part of a broader political vision.

“In the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, we have a project and a vision; we have prioritized the supreme interests of Iraq over narrow partisan interests,” he said. “This is our second initiative, following one we submitted to the Coordination Framework regarding the criteria for selecting a Prime Minister. Now, we have taken a practical step.”

According to the spokesperson, the coalition sought to send what he described as a “sincere message” that its sole objective is Iraq’s stability and governance.

“After seeing a stalemate in the process of designating a prime minister, a compromise was necessary, so we took the initiative,” Maslamawi said.

He explained that the Coordination Framework had initially agreed that Sudani and Maliki should hold direct talks to reach an understanding. “The Coordination Framework had decided that Mr. Sudani and Mr. Maliki should meet and reach an agreement between themselves,” Maslamawi said, adding that “Ultimately, Sudani, given his experience, decided to withdraw to pave the way.”

In Iraq's November parliamentary elections, the RDC secured 45 seats, while the State of Law coalition, led by Nouri al-Maliki, won 30 seats.

The official also called on Kurdish political parties to accelerate the process of selecting a candidate for the presidency.

“This is the key step for designating the prime minister to form the new government,” he said.

Under Article 70 of the Iraqi Constitution, parliament elects the President of the Republic by a two-thirds majority. If no candidate secures the required votes in the first round, a runoff is held between the two leading candidates, with the winner of the second ballot assuming the presidency.

After 2003, Iraq’s informal power-sharing system reserved the position of parliament speaker for Sunni Arabs, the premiership for Shiites, and the presidency for Kurds.

Last month, the parliament convened its first session and elected Haibat al-Halbousi, a member of the Sunni Takaddum party, as speaker.