ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition (RDC) announced on Monday that Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani has withdrawn his candidacy for prime minister, conceding the post in favor of former premier and head of the State of Law Coalition Nouri al-Maliki, in a move aimed at breaking a political deadlock within the Shiite Coordination Framework.
The decision was taken to end the ongoing stalemate over the premiership, Firas al-Maslamawi, the RDC coalition’s spokesperson, told Rudaw on Monday.
“The purpose of the withdrawal was to break the political deadlock and stalemate within the Coordination Framework regarding the position of Prime Minister,” Maslamawi said.
He stressed that the move was not a personal decision, “but rather a decision by the leadership of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, and it was passed unanimously.”
Maslamawi said the coalition had prioritized national interests over partisan considerations, describing the withdrawal as part of a broader political vision.
“In the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, we have a project and a vision; we have prioritized the supreme interests of Iraq over narrow partisan interests,” he said. “This is our second initiative, following one we submitted to the Coordination Framework regarding the criteria for selecting a Prime Minister. Now, we have taken a practical step.”
According to the spokesperson, the coalition sought to send what he described as a “sincere message” that its sole objective is Iraq’s stability and governance.