Sudani chief of staff among candidates for Iraqi PM: Analyst

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The chief of staff of outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani is among the figures being considered to replace the premier amid disagreements within the Shiite political powerhouse over the position, a political analyst said on Saturday.

"It seems Sudani is pushing for Ihsan al-Awadi, his chief of staff. However, I believe that under Sudani’s agreement with [leader of the State of Law Coalition Nouri al-] Maliki, he does not have the right to nominate someone, since he had previously stepped aside. This may weaken Ihsan al-Awadi’s chances," Ihsan al-Shammari, head of the Center for Political Thinking, told Rudaw.

This comes as Iraq’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework has failed to appoint a new candidate for the prime minister’s post after US President Donald Trump publicly opposed their first pick, Maliki.

Maliki’s party insists that he remains the only candidate of the Shiite alliance.

The analyst asserted that another factor reducing Awadi’s chances is his affiliation with chairman of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC), Falih al-Fayyadh, without elaborating.

“I believe this [affiliation] may prevent him from receiving support from rivals of [Sudani’s] Reconstruction and Development Bloc. Therefore, although his name is being discussed, I do not think his chances are very strong compared with Bassem al-Badri, Hamid al-Shatri, or the other names,” he stated.

Badri, from Maliki’s coalition, is among the strongest candidates for the powerful position. He is head of the Supreme National Commission for Accountability and Justice and a senior figure in the Maliki-led Islamic Dawa Party, and is “someone with political calmness and also has experience working in state institutions. But I expect there are other important figures, especially among the remaining nine names,” according to Shammari.

Meanwhile, Shatri is head of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS).

Khalid Walid, a leading member and representative of Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition politburo, told Rudaw on Friday that the incumbent prime minister “succeeded in obtaining the support of nine parties within the [12-member] Coordination Framework, which represents the numerical and political majority needed to move forward with the formal nomination procedures.”

Walid further argued that beyond the “political acceptability he enjoys within the [Shiite] Coordination Framework,” Sudani also has backing from “the majority of political forces nationwide.”

The Coordination Framework has repeatedly postponed a key meeting to discuss a candidate for the prime minister’s position.