Coordination Framework’s candidate for Iraq’s prime minister position Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on May 8, 2022. Photo: Sudani’s office/Facebook
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The pro-Iran Coordination Framework on Monday announced Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, Iraq’s former minister of labor and social affairs, as their candidate for the country’s prime minister position, in a step towards ending the political impasse that has plagued Iraq for months.
Sudani was selected as the faction’s candidate for Iraq’s premiership through a unanimous vote between leaders of the alliance, according to a statement from the Framework. He is currently an MP in the Iraqi parliament.
Born in 1970, Sudani entered politics from a young age, especially after the killing of his father by Saddam Hussein’s Baath regime in 1980 due to his affiliation with the Islamic Dawa Party. He participated in the 1991 anti-regime Shaaban uprising for three years.
Sudani holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science and a master’s degree in Project Management.
The candidate has filled a number of high-rank positions since 2003, including being the governor of Maysan province from 2009 to 2010, the minister of human rights from 2010 to 2014, acting minister of agriculture in 2013, and acting minister of finance in 2014, and his latest ministerial position was in the ministry of labor and social affairs from 2014 to 2018.
According to Sudani’s biography published by media outlets affiliated to the Framework, he is most known for his work in battling poverty and helping the less fortunate during his tenure as the minister of labor and social affairs, including increasing the inclusion of poor families in the social protection system from 17 percent to over 60, raising the minimum wage from 250 thousand Iraqi dinars to 350 thousand, granting over 57 thousand interest-free loans, and establishing the Commission of Persons with Disabilities and Special Needs in 2015.
The announcement comes as Iraq is approaching the 10-months mark following the early parliamentary elections of October 2021, with the country yet to form its next government due to the continued disputes between the political blocs in the Iraqi parliament.
The candidacy of Sudani does not necessarily bring an end to the political deadlock, as the Kurdish political giants, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), also need to agree on a candidate for Iraq’s presidency.
Mohammad Jaafar al-Sadr was previously nominated by the Sadrist Movement as the candidate for Iraq’s premiership, but he withdrew from the race along with all 73 members of the Sadrist bloc who resigned from the parliament in June upon the call of their leader Muqtada al-Sadr.
The Sadrists attempted to form a national majority government with their allies, the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance and the KDP, but their efforts were rivaled by the Coordination Framework who insisted on forming a traditional government based on political consensus.