The Shiite coordination framework began talks to form the new Iraqi government, with a meeting in which 3 of its most prominent leaders were absent, at a time when the leader of the Sadrist bloc Muqtada al-Sadr undermined the chances of President Barham Salih for a second term with a tweet in which he condemned his failure to sign the law criminalizing normalization with Israel.

The meeting, which was held in the capital, Baghdad, was attended by leaders of the framework allies from the "Alliance of Resolve" led by Khamis al-Khanjar and the "PUK" led by Bafel Talabani, to discuss the formation of a consensual government after al-Sadr withdrew from the House of Representatives and the idea of ​​a majority government went with him.

Absent from the meeting were the leader of the Al-Fateh Alliance, Hadi al-Amiri, and the prominent leaders in the National State Forces, Ammar al-Hakim and Haider al-Abadi, as press sources indicate that there are differences between the three and the head of the State of Law coalition, Nuri al-Maliki, over the name of the candidate for prime minister.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Bafel Talabani said that the conferees stressed the need to form a strong government capable of overcoming challenges and obstacles, and pointed out that "it was emphasized to accelerate the pace to form a service national government in the near future, working to build a secure future that can provide services at all levels, as well as guaranteeing the legal and constitutional rights of the Kurdistan region and Iraq in general.

Commenting on the meeting, Bankin Rekani, a leader in the Kurdistan Democratic Party led by Masoud Barzani, told the leaders of the coordination framework through his account on Twitter, "Iraq and all Iraqis need actual change, and I see that you are required to think and act in a new way and bear responsibility according to a just and purely patriotic approach, and then we will bear The responsibility is with you, millions of the poor and the forward-looking youth await.”

The researcher in political affairs, Kitab Al-Mizan, said, through his account on Twitter, that the absence of Al-Amiri, Al-Hakim and Al-Abadi, from the meeting of the coordination framework, confirms the existence of differences within the framework that brought it to the stage of disintegration.

According to local media, "the coordination framework encourages the PUK to reach an understanding with the Kurdistan Democratic Party about the candidate for the presidency, while emphasizing the commitment to support the PUK's decision in case of disagreement."

Al-Sadr undermined Saleh's chances of winning a second presidential term (Al-Jazeera)

Sadr Tweet

In a tweet on his Twitter account, the leader of the Sadrist movement undermined the chances of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan candidate, Barham Salih, to obtain a second presidential term, in which he denounced the latter's failure to sign the law criminalizing normalization with Israel that was approved by the House of Representatives last month.

pic.twitter.com/csw6JvUN9v

- Muqtada al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Sadr (@Mu_AlSadr) June 28, 2022

The Presidency of the Republic responded to Al-Sadr’s accusation in a statement, saying, “The Presidency of the Republic has previously received the draft law (criminalizing normalization with the Zionist entity) sent by the House of Representatives for the purpose of completing the procedures for its issuance and approval, according to the legal and constitutional mechanisms followed by the Presidency of the laws that are legislated by before the House of Representatives," noting that "the President of the Republic, Barham Salih, directed dealing with this law in the form sent by the House of Representatives without any notice, and it was published in the Iraqi Gazette on June 20, 2022 to enter into force."

The statement added, "The position of President Barham Salih, as is well known, is firm and supportive of the Palestinian cause and the attainment of the full legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and the liberation of their homeland from the occupation of the Zionist entity."

Al-Sadr's tweet provoked mixed reactions on the communication platforms, as observers described it as a good argument for the coordination framework in order to get rid of the Union candidate and go to a consensual candidate with the Democrat, at a time when others considered it a painful blow to the coordination framework and its allies.

The writer and academic Alaa Mustafa said through his Twitter account, "Al-Sadr's tweet was seized by the coordination framework, the boy caught the ball, how could it not have finished off the dreams of the second term and eliminated Barham Salih's candidacy project and raised the embarrassment of sticking to it and thus opened the doors to replace him with a consensual candidate."

Mustafa added, "This is how we crossed the obstacle of the presidency of the republic with a blessed tweet, and I hope that the contract of prime minister will be resolved."

Mr. Al-Sadr’s tweet was seized by the coordinating framework, the boy caught the ball, how could it not have finished off the dreams of the second term and ended the draft candidacy of #Barham_Saleh and lifted the embarrassment of sticking to it and thus opened the doors to replace him with a consensual candidate, and thus we crossed the obstacle of the Presidency of the Republic with a blessed tweet and hope that the contract for the presidency of the government will be resolved.

- Dr.

Alaa Mustafa (@DrAwade7) June 28, 2022

The journalist Muhammad al-Kubaisi commented on his Twitter account, saying, “The decision of the President of the Republic, Barham Salih, who belongs to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, not to sign the law criminalizing normalization with the Zionist occupation, was weeks ago, but it seems that Muqtada al-Sadr used it now against the coordination framework, especially after the end of yesterday’s meeting between the two parties. Kurdistan Patriotic Union.

The decision of the President of the Republic, Barham Salih, "belonging to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan", not to sign the law criminalizing normalization with the Zionist occupation was weeks ago, but it seems that Muqtada al-Sadr used it now against the coordinating framework, especially after the end of yesterday's meeting between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the framework.

— Muhammad al-Kubaisi (@malkobaysi) June 28, 2022