Mohammed al-Halbousi meets Nouri al-Maliki during their first post-election talks, where both emphasized the need to speed up forming the new government. (Halbousi office)
Maliki, Halbousi hold first post-election meeting, urge fast government formation
BAGHDAD — The first meeting between the largest Sunni bloc and State of Law leader Nouri al-Maliki centered on a shared call to “speed up forming the government,” as questions build around Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s standing within the Coordination Framework and early negotiations to identify the largest bloc.
Maliki’s office said: “The head of the State of Law Coalition, Mr. Nouri al-Maliki, received the head of the Taqaddum Party, Mr. Mohammed al-Halbousi.” It said the two men exchanged congratulations on the success of the electoral process and agreed on “the importance of speeding up forming a government capable of meeting the citizen’s demands and achieving aspirations.”
A Taqaddum statement echoed the same language, saying Halbousi met Maliki on Sunday and that both sides stressed “the importance of speeding up forming a government capable of meeting the citizen’s demands and achieving aspirations.”
The meeting comes as uncertainty grows over Sudani’s alignment with the Coordination Framework and as political factions begin maneuvering to define the largest bloc — the coalition with the most seats in the first parliamentary session, which holds the authority to nominate the prime minister.
State of Law and Taqaddum also maintain established cooperation in the Baghdad Governorate Council, where both have coordinated on power-sharing arrangements. State of Law has repeatedly reaffirmed its partnership with Taqaddum, saying it “confirms that it is committed to its understandings and agreements with all forces and blocs in the Baghdad Governorate Council,” even after tensions surfaced over a disputed vote to dismiss and replace the governor.
Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission released preliminary results from the Nov. 11 parliamentary elections on Wednesday night. According to 964media projections, Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition leads with 46 expected seats, followed by Halbousi’s Taqadum Party and Maliki’s State of Law Coalition with 29 seats each.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party is projected to win around 28 seats after receiving nearly 1.1 million votes nationwide. Qais al-Khazali’s Al-Sadiqoun Movement is expected to take 27 seats. Other blocs include Ammar al-Hakim’s National State Forces Alliance with 19 seats, Hadi al-Amiri’s Badr Organization with 18, Bafel Talabani’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan with 18, and Muthanna al-Samarrai’s Azm Alliance with 15.