Iraq's Prime Minister-Designate Likely To Struggle To Form Government

(AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)

A member of the Iraqi security forces stands guard next to a national flag as pilgrims march from the center of Baghdad toward the shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim, the seventh of 12 revered imams in Shiite Islam, during an annual religious commemoration on Feb. 16, 2023.

Iraq's new Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi is likely to struggle to form a government in the time allotted by the constitution. Even if he succeeds, any government would likely be a weak compromise Cabinet that would extend political paralysis and avoid Iraq's most contentious issues. On April 27, Iraq's ruling Shiite Coordination Framework (SCF) selected al-Zaidi, a businessman, as its nominee for prime minister, after incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki agreed on his candidacy during a meeting in Baghdad. Sudani said al-Zaidi's name was put forward to break the political deadlock after repeated failures to reach consensus on earlier candidates . Al-Zaidi's nomination came after at least seven unsuccessful SCF meetings to agree on a candidate, with multiple sessions delayed or postponed before the bloc finally settled on him.