AFTER THE PRIME MINISTER’S NAME WAS DECIDED, THE COORDINATION FRAMEWORK MOVED TO NEGOTIATING THE GOVERNMENT PROGRAM
Non-controversial
The atmosphere of the movement within the Coordination Framework, the broader umbrella for Shiite political forces in Parliament, is moving towards a crucial stage, the title of which is agreeing on a name and program for the next Prime Minister, in an attempt to produce a candidate who can manage the next stage and open the door to understanding with the rest of the political forces within the framework of constitutional entitlements and political calming, which seems to have decided on the name of the Prime Minister internally, to move practically to negotiating the government program and its priorities before the official announcement of the candidate.
Salam Al-Zubaidi, a member of the Coordination Framework, confirmed to Baghdad Today that “the intensive meetings and gatherings held by the Framework’s forces are witnessing remarkable progress in viewpoints, and there is a broad understanding on the need to choose a figure capable of managing the next stage efficiently and achieving political and service stability, while taking into account the country’s supreme interest.”
Al-Zubaidi explained that “the discussions are not limited to names only, but also include the government program and executive work priorities, foremost among them improving the economic situation, supporting security and stability, and enhancing public confidence in official institutions, and agreement on these files is proceeding in parallel with the naming file.”
According to political data obtained by “Baghdad Today,” most of the figures close to the coordinating framework, who appear on political programs on television, confirm in their talks that “the decision has already been made,” and that the candidate is a figure from the Middle Euphrates region, a graduate of Baghdad University, and does not provoke a sharp dispute among the main Shiite forces.
These data indicate that the current discussion is focused on the details of the government program, which was likely formulated primarily in agreement with the candidate himself, and that the ongoing dialogues aim to incorporate the observations of the various forces before announcing the final version.
Al-Zubaidi added that “the positive atmosphere prevailing in the dialogues reflects the keenness of all parties to avoid disputes and move towards a genuine consensus that leads to the formation of a strong government capable of facing internal and external challenges, and the next few days may witness an official announcement of the name of the candidate for the premiership.”
The member of the coordinating framework concluded by saying that “the current stage requires calming down and clearly prioritizing the logic of dialogue and understanding, and the framework is proceeding with completing the constitutional entitlements in accordance with the legal contexts and in a way that fulfills the aspirations of the citizens.”
Three key factional figures broke the scene in the past few hours with similar statements, in which they expressed their readiness to hand over weapons and confine them to the hands of the state, in a move that is read – according to political sources – as one of the signs of paving the way for the new political stage, and an early message of support for the next government and its supposed security program.
The political arena is witnessing intense activity to resolve the issue of forming the new government, amid popular anticipation of the process of choosing the next Prime Minister, and whether he will be able to manage the economic and service crises and reduce the severity of political tension, after previous government experiences marred by disputes and the failure to implement reform programs.