BAGHDAD, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's Coordination Framework (CF), an umbrella alliance of Shiite parties and the largest parliamentary bloc, announced Wednesday the postponement of its meeting to nominate a prime minister-designate until Friday.
The alliance said that the delay aims to allow more time for dialogue and to reach a conclusion within the constitutional timeframe, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency.
On Monday, the CF held a meeting, but failed to agree on a nominee for prime minister-designate. Abbas al-Amiri, the alliance's secretary-general, said the bloc will hold another meeting on Tuesday, aiming to reach a final decision by Wednesday.
The alliance faces a critical constitutional deadline expiring on April 26 to officially present its candidate for the country's top executive post.
On April 11, Iraq's parliament elected former Environment Minister Nizar Amedi as president. Under the constitution, the president has 15 days to nominate a prime minister-designate from the largest parliamentary bloc. The nominee then has 30 days to form a government and seek a confidence vote.
In January, the CF nominated former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for the post. The move drew criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who warned Washington would "no longer help Iraq" if al-Maliki returned to power. Al-Maliki dismissed the remarks as "blatant U.S. interference" and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.
Under Iraq's post-2003 power-sharing system, the presidency is held by a Kurd, the parliamentary speaker by a Sunni Muslim, and the prime minister by a Shiite Muslim. ■
