PM Sudani's bloc moves to break ‘deadlock’ in selecting Iraq’s next premier

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The political bloc led by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has outlined a set of criteria aimed at “breaking the deadlock” in the ongoing talks among the country’s political forces to select the next premier.

In a statement released late Monday, the Reconstruction and Development Coalition (RDC) said it had submitted an official proposal to the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework to ensure adherence to “constitutional timelines” for the election of Iraq’s next president, parliament speaker, and premier.

The RDC’s statement emphasized the importance of upholding “the will of the voters” in choosing the prime minister, who should “enjoy the trust of the people” and have a proven track record in “managing the state and executive positions.”

The next premier should also “possess a realistic vision and a governmental program aligned with the challenges of the upcoming phase, enjoy national acceptance,” and “be officially endorsed by one of the forces within the Coordination Framework through nomination.”

Iraq held early legislative elections on November 9, followed by general voting on November 11, with the final results announced later that month.

The Sudani-led RDC emerged as the frontrunner, securing 46 seats in the 329-member parliament.

In mid-November, the Coordination Framework - a coalition of Iraqi Shiite political groups - announced that it had formed parliament’s largest bloc, a decisive step toward selecting the next premier. Together, the Shiite lists captured 179 seats, giving them the numbers needed to guide government-formation negotiations.

The RDC affirmed on Monday that it is “a core bloc within the Coordination Framework,” noting “the possibility of nominating one of its figures if an agreement is reached within the Framework on a unified nomination mechanism.” It further voiced its full commitment to the constellation’s decision and to “moving toward a political formula that ensures balance and takes into account the electoral weights within the Coordination Framework in the decision-making process.”

Prime Minister Sudani has repeatedly expressed his desire for another term, but it remains uncertain whether the Shiite Coordination Framework - which backed him during his first term in October 2022 - will support his bid again.

In early December, the Iraqi premier faced controversy when what he described as an “error” led to the inclusion of Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Ansarullah - widely known as the Houthis - on an Iraqi government list of organizations whose assets were to be frozen for purported links to terrorist activity.

Both Hezbollah and Ansarullah are key members of the Iran-led “Axis of Resistance,” a network of Tehran-aligned armed and political groups across the Middle East, including in Iraq. The asset-freeze decision prompted swift backlash from Iraqi figures aligned with the Axis, who took aim at the premier.

In an ostensible jab at Prime Minister Sudani, Hussain Mouanes, head of the Hoquq bloc in parliament - affiliated with Iraq’s Kata’ib Hezbollah armed group - wrote on X that “a caretaker government that blacklists a resistance group in Lebanon as a terrorist organization… is neither sovereign nor courageous.”

Similarly, lawmaker Mustafa Sanad, a staunch supporter of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), condemned the move on Facebook, stating, “those who freeze honor will themselves be frozen.”

In an apparent response, the Iraqi premier then warned “opportunists or bankrupt parties” against trying to exploit the controversy for political gain. Since then, Sudani’s position has become precarious, and his prospects for retaining the premiership remain uncertain.