Leaders of the Coordination Framework attend a previous meeting in Baghdad
Coordination Framework urges Kurds to end presidency deadlock
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Coordination Framework on Wednesday called for resolving the presidency dispute “within a short period” and urged Kurdish parties to accelerate an agreement.
The Shiite coalition said it held its regular meeting at Ammar al-Hakim’s office to discuss political developments and reaffirmed “the importance of respecting constitutional timelines.”
The framework stressed “the importance that the brothers in the Kurdistan Region give attention to the proposals presented by the Coordination Framework delegation during its recent visit to the region,” saying this would help in “accelerating consensus and ending the state of obstruction.”
It told its lawmakers “to be free in their choices in the event that a single candidate for the presidency is not reached,” adding that “the continued paralysis of state institutions does not align with the size of the political, economic and security challenges surrounding the country.”
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. The constitutional deadline for selecting a president has now passed.
Since 2003, Iraq has operated under an informal power-sharing arrangement in which the presidency is customarily held by a Kurdish politician, the prime ministership by a Shiite Arab and the speakership by a Sunni Arab.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan have each backed different candidates and failed to reach consensus.
Divisions have also emerged over the prime minister post. The Coordination Framework nominated former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who served from 2006 to 2014, prompting debate within Iraq and 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.