Sudani asserts competitive edge with new parliamentary bloc

The launch of the Construction and Development parliamentary bloc on July 12 highlights the growing weight of Prime Minister Sudani’s new electoral alliance, which aims to disrupt the dominance of Iraq’s establishment parties. Backed by over 50 MPs, the bloc provides Sudani with a credible platform to rival his former patron and main competitor, Nouri Al-Maliki.

Originally announced as an electoral list in late May, the Construction and Development alliance is less a coherent political party than a pragmatic coalition. It brings together a patchwork of candidates from diverse political backgrounds, united more by electoral opportunity than by shared ideology or programmatic vision. The July 12 announcement underscored the extent to which Sudani has succeeded in co-opting MPs already in parliament. The statement itself offered no distinct policy platform or ideological direction, relying instead on the bloc’s association with the prime minister. This personalization is both an asset and a liability, since it offers clear leadership but leaves the bloc’s cohesion uncertain once electoral interests fade.