SULAIMANI (ESTA) — A delegation from the Sadrist movement led by Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr met with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Erbil on Tuesday to discuss the formation of a new Iraqi government.
The delegation led by Hassan al-Adhari arrived in Erbil on Monday to discuss the formation of a new Iraqi cabinet with the Kurdish parties.
The Sadrist movement’s delegation met with the KDP politburo in Erbil on Tuesday.
“The delegation’s visit was to discuss the Council of Representatives’ session set for January 9,” KDP spokesman Mahmoud Mohammed told reporters following the meeting.
“There was some understanding between us before, and what remains now is to practise the understanding,” he added.
Mohammed further said two committees from the party would hold meetings with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) on Wednesday to discuss the formation of the new Iraqi government.
On Thursday, Iraqi President Barham Salih issued a decree that convenes new parliament for January 9, following the approval of final results by the federal court.
Lawmakers will elect a parliamentary speaker and two deputies in their first session. They will later elect a new president who will task the leader of the largest bloc to form a government as prime minister.
The main winner of the election was Sadr, a populist who has positioned himself as a staunch opponent of both Iran and the United States.
Sadr’s bloc, already the biggest in the 329-seat parliament, will expand to 73 seats from 54. Its main rivals for years, the Fatah bloc of factions linked to pro-Tehran militia, meanwhile, saw its parliamentary representation collapse to just 17 seats from 48.
The Taqqadum Party, which draws support from minority Sunni Muslims, won 37 seats, according to the final results.
Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law Alliance won 33 seats, the results showed.
Because no coalition won a majority, Shia, Sunni and Kurdish coalitions have been jockeying for position in the new government.
The Sadrist movement wants to form a “national majority government” while the other Shia parties prefer a “consensus government”.
Last week, a delegation from the Coordination Framework led by Hadi al-Amiri met with Sadr in Najaf to discuss the formation of a new government.
The Coordination Framework includes State of Law Alliance, al-Fateh Alliance, Ata Movement, National Forces Alliance, Haquq Movement and Fadhila party.
Following the meeting, Sadr stressed in a tweet that the upcoming government should be “a national majority government, neither eastern nor western”.
