Iraq’s Dominant Bloc Taps Newcomer Ali Al-Zaidi for Prime Minister After Weeks of Wrangling

Daily Memo: Iraq Ends Its Political Stalemate, SCO Summit Begins

New PM-designate. Iraq’s top political bloc named businessman Ali al-Zaidi as its candidate for prime minister. The Coordination Framework, a coalition of Iran-aligned Shiite parties, had previously indicated it would support former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for the post, until the U.S. threatened to cut off aid to the country if it didn’t reconsider its choice. […] The post Daily Memo: Iraq Ends Its Political Stalemate, SCO Summit Begins a…

Iraq is being captured, and Washington is letting it happen

If Iraq looks broken from the outside, it’s because we’re still using the wrong word. Iraq isn’t failing. It’s being captured. For years, Washington has described Iraq’s political paralysis as dysfunction, another messy chapter in a young democracy. But that framing ignores what Iraqis themselves see every day: a system that no longer answers to its people, but to power networks aligned with Tehran. The Coordination Framework, the bloc dominatin…

Iraq's Shia bloc picks newcomer as PM amid US pressure to 'compromise'

The nomination comes weeks after US President Donald Trump threatened to ‘cut off’ Iraq if Nouri al-Maliki was chosen as premier

Iraq: Businessman Ali al-Zaidi nominated to become new prime minister

Largest parliamentary bloc nominates former banker to form new government, five months after election

Iraq names little-known banker Ali al-Zaidi as PM after five-month deadlock

The real story of Zaidi is that he is largely unknown and appears to have been chosen almost by chance, as if Iraq’s politicians simply settled on a random figure to lead the country.

Iraq's Shi'ite alliance names Ali al-Zaidi as PM nominee

Iraq"s alliance of Shi"ite political blocs, the Coordination Framework, on Monday named Ali al-Zaidi as its nominee for the post of prime minister, said a coalition statement.