Iraq’s Shi’ite bloc reaffirms backing for Maliki

Iraq’s alliance of Shi’ite political blocs, the Coordination Framework, reaffirmed on Saturday its support for former premier Nouri al-Maliki to lead the next government, despite a warning from ⁠U.S. President Donald Trump that Washington would no longer help Iraq if Maliki returned to power.
The bloc, which holds a majority ⁠in parliament, picked Maliki, Iraq’s first elected prime minister after a U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, as its nominee for the post following an election.
According to a statement from the Coordination Framework, the choice of ⁠the prime minister is a purely Iraqi constitutional matter and should proceed without foreign interference, adding that it seeks balanced relations with international partners based on mutual respect.