Sudani ally questions Maliki candidacy ahead of Coordination Framework meeting

BAGHDAD — A leader in Prime Minister al-Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition questioned the Dawa Party’s reaffirmation of Nouri al-Maliki’s candidacy for prime minister Sunday, saying Sudani remains the only proposed name without a veto and that an agreement at Monday’s Coordination Framework meeting is unlikely given the presence of both Iranian and U.S. envoys in Baghdad.

“We were surprised by the Dawa Party’s statement denying the withdrawal of Nouri al-Maliki’s candidacy,” Abdul Amir Taiban said in a televised interview. “As we know, Mr. Maliki faces more than one veto from Shiite and Sunni parties, as well as regional and international vetoes. The only person among the proposed names who does not face a veto is Mr. Sudani.”

Taiban said his coalition has secured nine votes within the Coordination Framework and has the backing of factions including Hikma, Sadiqoun and former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s bloc, as well as Qais al-Khazali. He said his coalition had relinquished its entitlement to Maliki after he failed to secure consensus, and that the nomination should return to its original claimant. He added that Sudani’s nomination could have proceeded on the same day President Amedi assigned the task of forming a government, but that Sudani requested a delay to allow time for discussions with State of Law and the KDP.

The Coordination Framework is scheduled to meet Monday at the office of Hikma Movement leader Ammar al-Hakim with deciding the prime ministerial candidate as the sole agenda item. The Dawa Party said Sunday that Maliki’s nomination remains in place and has not been withdrawn, stressing that any change must go through the same mechanism used to select him.

President Nizar Amedi has 15 days under Article 76 of the constitution to task the largest bloc’s nominee with forming a government — a clock that is already running.