Sudani-Maliki fued continues to stall government formation

The 15-day constitutional deadline to nominate a prime minister has been exceeded, with no indication that a resolution is imminent. Intensive negotiations over the weekend failed to yield progress, with a scheduled Saturday meeting ultimately not taking place. In response, the Coordination Framework has adopted a liberal interpretation of the constitutional timeline, arguing that public holidays do not count toward the deadline, effectively extending it until April 30. While this legal argument carries little substantive weight at this stage, it signals that political actors are buying time in the hope of reaching a compromise.

At the heart of the impasse are two intersecting dynamics. The first is a set of deeply rooted personal rivalries among key political figures. The second is a broader ideological and geopolitical struggle over the direction of Iraq’s political order.

On the personal level, the standoff between Nouri Al-Maliki and Prime Minister Sudani has proven particularly consequential. Maliki has remained firm in backing Basim Al-Badri as his preferred nominee, despite Badri not being formally part of his coalition and instead being closely aligned with Judge Faiq Zaydan. Maliki’s position appears driven less by affinity for Badri himself and more by a determination to prevent Sudani from maintaining influence over the premiership through a proxy.