State of Law member says Maliki candidacy should be used as leverage

BAGHDAD — A member of the State of Law Coalition said political leaders should use the potential candidacy of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as leverage in negotiations rather than withdrawing it early.

Bilal al-Nasiri said there was no reason for a rapid concession, adding that achieving both domestic and international consensus on any candidate was unlikely.

“We are surprised by our brothers in the Coordination Framework and our partners for giving up a strong card that we could maneuver with to secure interests and gains,” al-Nasiri told Alnahrain TV.

“I say to our partners, before you present Maliki as a stalled project, present him as a maneuvering project with the American, the Syrian and the Turkish. If Maliki is a concern for Syria, Turkey and the United States, then you must use him to the end to obtain gains,” he added.

Al-Nasiri said political actors should use “the strong cards” they hold, whether from Shiite, Sunni or Kurdish components, and avoid what he described as “rapid retreat from the first tweet.”

The Shiite Coordination Framework nominated al-Maliki, who served from 2006 to 2014. President Donald Trump said in a social media post that the United States would not continue support for Iraq if al-Maliki returned to office.

Iraq’s government formation has stalled since the Nov. 11 elections. Parliament must elect a president before a prime minister can be tasked, but a scheduled session was postponed without a new date.

Earlier this week, a political analyst close to State of Law said al-Maliki “will not” withdraw from the race.