THE END OF THE “LONG STRUGGLE”… MALIKI IS CLOSE TO ANNOUNCING HIS WITHDRAWAL EXPECTATIONS ARE THAT A NEW SESSION TO ELECT THE “PRESIDENT” WILL BE HELD EARLY NEXT WEEK.
(This announcement is what Kurdistan was waiting for in order to announce their nominee for the presidency. Picking the new president was not the crisis it was a coverup while they sorted out this Nori al-Maliki nominee mess. Understand? Now that he has conceded his nomination and back off the new president is announced to us. Thus they can now move ahead with the election process again. )
Speculation is mounting in political circles that Nouri al-Maliki, leader of the State of Law Coalition, may announce his withdrawal from the prime ministerial race within the next few hours or days, a scenario reminiscent of 2014.
These expectations come at a time of continued political deadlock, with Parliament failing for the second time in two weeks to convene a session to elect a president—a constitutional step that should pave the way for the nomination of the candidate from the largest bloc to form the new government.
According to multiple sources, the reason for the stalled sessions is not so much procedural disagreements, as officially stated, but rather al-Maliki’s own nomination. He faces objections primarily from Shia political forces, in addition to a warning from the United States that it will halt aid to Iraq if his nomination is approved. This has placed the political process in a complex internal and external predicament.
Meanwhile, the pro-government camp, which visited the Kurdistan Region last Monday, does not appear to have emerged with clear support for al-Maliki’s candidacy. It seems they have thus gathered a range of internal and external opinions regarding their nominee.
The five key players in the government crisis,
according to a Shiite politician close to the negotiations, who spoke to Al-Mada, are likely to see Maliki’s room for maneuver shrinking, leaving him with no option but to withdraw quietly. The politician, who requested anonymity, indicated that Maliki and his pro-government camp had listened to the positions of all parties, both internal and external, regarding a candidate who “does not seem acceptable.”
He added that the “Coordination Framework” team supporting Maliki received no positive signals from his recent visit to Kurdistan, and had previously failed to gauge the opinion of the Najaf religious establishment, which refused to intervene.
Meanwhile, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s stance on Maliki was interpreted in various ways. The Shiite opposition saw his position as lacking any explicit endorsement or support.
Furthermore, the pro-government camp received signals of rejection from approximately half of the Sunni political forces, while US President Donald Trump’s position was the most explicit, describing Maliki as a “bad” choice who would reignite sectarian tensions in Iraq.
The “withdrawal scenario” is expected by politicians, who anticipate a repeat of the 2014 scenario, with Maliki appearing to announce his resignation after prolonged attempts to remain in power. He leveraged his well-known “patience” and pushed his supporters toward escalation before decisive messages arrived from the religious establishment rejecting his continued rule.
A group of Shiite forces believes that the religious establishment’s stance against Maliki remains unchanged “unless something contradicts it,” which encourages Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the “Hikma Movement,” and Qais al-Khazali, leader of “Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq,” to continue rejecting his candidacy.In this context, Hussam al-Hassani, spokesman for the “Hikma Movement,” endorsed the predictions regarding Maliki’s withdrawal, stating in a television interview: “I expect Maliki to withdraw, and this stance is not unusual for him,” adding that “the coordinating framework has no decision to confront the United States.”
Hakim and Khazali had previously posted a photo of themselves together during the “pro-government” camp’s trip to Kurdistan, a scene interpreted as a declaration of alignment within the “opposition” camp. A statement issued by al-Khazali’s office indicated that “the meeting addressed the importance of respecting constitutional timelines in the government formation process, expediting the selection of the president, and discussing the political situation and the positions of national forces to ensure consensus and stability in the national landscape.”