PMF chief Faleh Al-Fayyadh meets Qais Al-Khazali in first post-election meeting

BAGHDAD — Popular Mobilization Forces chief Faleh Al-Fayyadh met Friday with Asaib Ahl Al-Haq secretary-general Qais Al-Khazali, marking the first direct engagement between a senior figure aligned with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and a leading member of the Coordination Framework since tensions surfaced during the election campaign.

Al-Fayyadh heads the National Contract list, which ran in alignment with Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition in the Nov. 11 parliamentary elections. Sudani had notably stayed away from recent Coordination Framework meetings.

A statement from the PMF said the two men “praised the success of the electoral process and the high turnout,” exchanging congratulations on what it described as “a well-organized vote” that helped “rebuild trust between the public and state institutions.”

The meeting also comes against the backdrop of reported tensions between Al-Fayyadh and Al-Khazali over PMF leadership roles.

According to the PMF statement, both sides “stressed the necessity of prioritizing dialogue and national interest to ensure the completion of constitutional entitlements, strengthen the path of stability, and support comprehensive development plans in Iraq.”

Preliminary projections indicate Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition is on track to win 46 seats — the highest of any bloc — while Al-Khazali’s Al-Sadiqoun Movement is expected to secure 27 seats.