ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi President Nizar Amedi on Friday urged the country’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework to adhere to constitutional timelines for selecting its nominee for prime minister, ahead of the alliance’s meeting later in the day.
"We emphasize the necessity of adhering to the constitutional timelines for submitting the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc, as this is a constitutional entitlement that brooks no delay and a national responsibility that rests upon everyone,” the president said in a statement.
The Iraqi parliament on April 11 elected Amedi, a nominee of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), as president. Under the constitution, once sworn in, the president has up to 15 days to task the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc - the Coordination Framework - with forming a government.
On Wednesday, the Coordination Framework’s general secretariat said the alliance of Shiite parties had postponed a meeting scheduled for that day to Friday “to allow more space for dialogue and to reach an [tangible] outcome within the constitutional timeframe.”
“Accelerating the completion of this process bolsters political stability, ensures the orderly functioning of institutions, and responds to the aspirations of citizens for the formation of a government capable of performing its duties and serving their interests,” Amedi said, adding that “sensitive circumstances” in the region “necessitate prioritizing the supreme interests of the country."
The process has so far been marked by internal divisions among the alliance’s 12 constituent parties, which have yet to agree on a single candidate for prime minister, as the constitutional deadline is set to expire on Monday.
Ihsan al-Awadi, chief of staff to incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, and Basim al-Badri, a senior State of Law Coalition figure backed by Nouri al-Maliki, have been reported as leading contenders, officials told Rudaw on Tuesday.
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