ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish leaders on Monday welcomed the nomination of Ali al-Zaidi as Iraq’s prime minister after the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework selected him following weeks of consultations.
In a post on X, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani congratulated Zaidi on his nomination, wishing him success in forming a “comprehensive national government that meets the aspirations of our people throughout Iraq, and works to strengthen stability and reconstruction.”
“We affirm our support for him and working with him for a better future for all Iraqis,” Barzani said.
Shiite Coordination Framework on Monday named Zaidi as its “consensus candidate” for prime minister, the bloc said in a statement, following weeks of consultations among its constituent parties and on the final day of the constitutional deadline for designating a nominee for the post, traditionally held by a Shiite.
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on X that he held a call with Zaidi and congratulated him, adding that “We also expressed our support for addressing all contentious issues based on the constitution, expressing our aspiration for Iraq to witness a new era filled with security, stability, and peace.”
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani also congratulated Zaidi in a statement. “We will help him succeed in forming a capable and inclusive government and to help that government move Iraq out of the economic and security crises it faces,” Talabani said.