SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraq’s Coordination Framework called on the Sadrist Movement led by Moqtada al-Sadr to form the largest bloc of parliament, as the new legislature will hold its first session on Sunday.
In a statement, the Coordination Framework led by Hadi al-Amiri said the group discussed the formation of the largest bloc and the first parliamentary session during its meeting on Friday, state news agency INA reported.
The Coordination Framework includes State of Law Alliance, al-Fateh Alliance, Ata Movement, National Forces Alliance, Haquq Movement and Fadhila party.
On December 30, 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 al-Fateh bloc of factions linked to pro-Tehran militia, meanwhile, saw its parliamentary representation collapse to just 17 seats from 48. Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law Alliance won 33 seats.
“We renew our call to all representatives … especially the brothers in the Sadrist bloc to form the largest bloc,” the Coordination Framework said on Friday.
“This is to preserve the constitutional entitlement and the stability of the political process,” it added.
The Iraqi parties have yet to reach an agreement to form the largest bloc of parliament as no coalition won a majority during the elections.
The Coordination Framework and Sadrist Movement held several rounds of meeting in Najaf in the past weeks.
According to officials from both sides, the Sadrist Movement wanted a national majority government while the Coordination Framework preferred a consensus government.
“The only point of contention between al-Sadr and the coordination framework is that Sadr wants a majority government, but the Coordination Framework wants a consensus government,” Fazil al-Fatlawi, leader in al-Fateh Alliance, told Baghdad Today last week.
Last week, leader in the Coordination Framework Wail Rukabi said the group would form the largest parliamentary bloc if talks with Sadr failed.
“The Coordination Framework is the largest bloc with 90 seats and will form the government in the event that Sadr rejects a coalition with the group,” Baghdad Today quoted him as saying.
