Maliki’s Dawa Party meets rival bloc leader as government formation stalls

BAGHDAD — Mohsen al-Mandalawi, head of the Al-Asas Coalition, met Tuesday with a delegation from Nouri al-Maliki’s Islamic Dawa Party to discuss electing a president and forming the next government.

Al-Mandalawi’s office said he received party leaders at his guesthouse to discuss “political developments and ways to accelerate the election of the president and the formation of the upcoming government.”

Iraq’s government formation has stalled since the 2025 parliamentary elections. Under the constitution, parliament must first elect a president, who then nominates a prime minister candidate to form a government. Parliament on Sunday postponed a scheduled session to elect the president without setting a new date, prolonging the deadlock.

The statement said the meeting addressed “completing the requirements for forming the government” and “ways to intensify the efforts of political forces and overcome the current challenges in a spirit of responsibility and partnership.”

It added that participants emphasized “the necessity of adhering to constitutional procedures and the importance of preserving the unity of the Coordination Framework,” the Shiite coalition that emerged after the 2021 elections.

Divisions have also emerged over the prime minister post. The Coordination Framework nominated al-Maliki, who served from 2006 to 2014, prompting debate within Iraq and reaction abroad. President Donald Trump said in a social media post that the United States would not continue its support for Iraq if al-Maliki returned to office.