Baqir al-Saadi, a member of the Coordination Framework, said on Saturday that Nouri al-Maliki is still the coalition’s only candidate for the next prime minister, denying rumors that he plans to step aside.
Speaking to dinaropinions.com, al-Saadi said the Coordination Framework is clear about its position since it considers itself the largest parliamentary bloc in the Council of Representatives of Iraq.
He stressed that al-Maliki remains the coalition’s sole nominee and that claims about his withdrawal being circulated in some media outlets and on social media are not true.
Al-Saadi added that if the Framework decides to nominate another candidate, it will announce that decision through official statements.
He also said the current priority is for Kurdish political forces to reach an agreement on the presidency. According to him, the presidential issue must be resolved first, as required by the constitution, before the largest bloc can officially nominate its candidate to form the next government.
