Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (left) and Nouri al-Maliki appear in a composite image against the backdrop of a meeting of Shia Coordination Framework leaders in Baghdad
Badr MP says Sudani second term ‘completely unacceptable’
BAGHDAD — Abdullah Hamed al-Khikani, a lawmaker from the Badr Organization, said divisions within the Coordination Framework have prevented the issuance of an official statement announcing Nouri al-Maliki as its nominee for prime minister.
In an interview with Al-Ahad channel, al-Khikani said objections from the Sadiqoun bloc, political wing of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and the Hikma Movement, along with a tweet by U.S. President Donald Trump, contributed to internal disagreements. He added that Trump’s stance placed the framework “in a major spiral.”
Al-Khikani said he supports the framework’s decision-making process. “I am not with Maliki heart and soul as much as I am committed to the framework’s decision and bound by its outcomes,” he said.
He said the framework now faces two options: selecting a figure “stronger” than al-Maliki or proceeding with his nomination and leaving the decision to a parliamentary vote. “If we want to reach a new outcome, we must choose a personality stronger than Maliki, or wait for Maliki’s assignment and go to parliament, and he may pass or may not,” he said.
Al-Khikani said Hadi al-Amiri, head of the Badr Organization, and former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi are “stronger than Maliki.” He added, “Otherwise history will write that the Shiites retreated because of a tweet from the United States of America.”
He said media statements by framework members exceeded formal communication at the time of al-Maliki’s selection, leading to disputes that prevented an official announcement. He also referred to Trump as “insane” in describing the tweet’s impact, saying it opened the door to negotiations. “The media war on the Iraqi people is bigger than the problem of Maliki’s nomination,” he said.
Al-Khikani rejected a proposal to return Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani for a second term. “The proposal to return Sudani and grant him a second term is completely unacceptable,” he said.
Al-Khikani said that in the event of al-Maliki’s withdrawal, the names Adel Abdul Mahdi and Intelligence Chief Hamid al-Shatri have been proposed, describing them as names “not for media burning.”