Coordination Framework Picks Its Candidate For Iraq PM But Doesn’t Resolve Anything

(Kurdistan 24)

The Coordination Framework has finally made its choice for prime minister. That’s State of Law member Mohammed al-Sudani. It’s an interesting choice because he was rejected for that position in 2019.

 

Sudani is a long time member of the Dawa Party and State or Law and has held various government positions. Sudani is from Maysan and served on the provincial council there from 2004-2009. He was governor of that province from 2009-2010. (1) He then became the Human Rights Minister from 2010-2014 in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s second administration. He was Labor Minister and then Trade Minister under Premier Haidar Abadi. He was not noted for anything special during this period in his career. That’s exactly the kind of politician the ruling parties are looking for. Someone who is known but not known for anything outstanding. If they were they might think they could actually do something as the leader of Iraq which would get in the way of the elite. As the ethnosectarian blocs have broken apart and rivalries have increased the ruling parties are competing more than ever for resources and power and do not want a strong PM to get in their way.

 

The most interesting thing about Sudani’s nomination was that he was picked in 2019 as a possible prime minister. Back then he was supported by Maliki’s State of Law and Hadi Amiri’s Fatah and opposed by Moqtada al-Sadr’s Sairoon. Those are largely the forces for and against him today. Sudani will have an uphill battle to become the next premier and if he does gain the position he could face protests organized by Sadr who wants to be kingmaker despite withdrawing his followers from parliament.

 

Finally, naming Sudani does not solve the deadlock in forming the next government. The Kurdistan Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan still can’t agree upon the next president. That’s because the KDP is now the dominant party in Kurdistan and wants to hold all the Kurdish government positions including the presidency which the PUK considers its own. Until that’s resolved and there’s no sign that it will anytime soon parliament can’t decide on the next prime minister.

 

FOOTNOTE

 

1. Aswat al-Iraq, “Ali Dway new Missan governor,” 12/28/10

 

SOURCES

 

Aswat al-Iraq, “Acting Human Rights Minister escapes assassination attempt,” 6/1/11

- “Ali Dway new Missan governor,” 12/28/10

 

Foltyn, Simona, “Rampant corruption scorches Iraq’s grain farmers,” Al Jazeera, 6/9/20

 

Ghafuri, Lawk, “Prospective prime minister leaves Iraqi protesters, some parliamentarians dissatisfied,” Rudaw, 12/14/19

 

Iraq Directory, “Maysan province seeks to attract foreign investment to compensate the fiscal deficit in budget,” 5/30/09

 

Iraq Oil Report, “UPDATE: Abadi forms government, Abdulmahdi becomes Oil Minister,” 9/8/14

 

Mahmoud, Sinan, Tollast, Robert, “Iraq’s largest Shiite parliamentary bloc agrees on nominee for prime minister post,” The National, 7/25/22

 

National Iraqi News Agency, “Acting defense minister, Human rights minister arrive to Anbar province,” 1/17/13

 

Shilani, Mustafa, “Shiite coordination framework nominates Al-Sudani for Iraqi prime minister,” Kurdistan 24, 7/25/22

 

Sowell, Kirk, “Inside Iraqi Politics No. 45,” 9/4/12

 

Visser, Reidar, “Maliki Suffers Setbacks as Samarrai is Confirmed as New Speaker and More Governors Are Elected South of Baghdad,” Historiae, 4/19/09