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Iraq’s ruling Shia bloc races to choose PM as US, Iran watch

Al Jazeera · · 2190 words · By Alfadhel Ahmad
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/20/iraqs-ruling-shia-bloc-races-to-choose-…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

27 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 17
check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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“It’s been more than five months since Iraq’s parliamentary elections, but the Coordination Framework – the largest parliamentary bloc of Shia parties – has failed to choose its prime ministerial candidate amid internal power struggles.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that the Coordination Framework has been struggling to select a prime ministerial candidate for a period following the elections. One source mentions 'nearly five months' and another notes the bloc 'has failed to pass' its candidate.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 11 November 2025. The elections determined the 329 members of Iraq's Council of Representatives, who are responsible for electing the country's president, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Iraqi_parliamentary_elect…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An indirect election was held for the president of Iraq on 11 April 2026 by the Council of Representatives. Nizar Amidi of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was elected in the second round of voting wi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iraqi_presidential_electi…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Coordination Framework (Arabic: الإطار التنسيقي) is a council of major Iraqi Shiite parties in the Council of Representatives. It was originally formed in March 2021 to contest the results of the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coordination_Framework
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The Coordination Framework – which commands approximately 185 of 329 seats in parliament – must nominate a prime minister by April 26, as required by the Iraqi constitution”
SINGLE SOURCE
Web search results mention constitutional deadlines and the Coordination Framework's role in nominating a PM, but none of the provided evidence explicitly states the exact requirement that the Coordination Framework *must* nominate a prime minister by April 26, nor does it confirm the specific seat count of 185 out of 329. The claim mixes specific dates and numbers not fully supported by the evidence.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Iraqi presidential election of 2022 was held on 13 October 2022 to elect by indirect suffrage the president of Iraq for a four-year term. The position is largely ceremonial, with Iraq being a parl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Iraqi_presidential_electi…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 11 November 2025. The elections determined the 329 members of Iraq's Council of Representatives, who are responsible for electing the country's president, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Iraqi_parliamentary_elect…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An indirect election was held for the president of Iraq on 11 April 2026 by the Council of Representatives. Nizar Amidi of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was elected in the second round of voting wi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iraqi_presidential_electi…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Iran, which wields considerable influence over Iraqi politics, has also been involved in the political crisis.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results confirm that Iran wields considerable influence over Iraqi politics and has been involved in the political crisis following the removal of Saddam Hussein.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Iranian intervention in Iraq has its roots in the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies, when the infrastructure of the Iraqi armed forces, as well as intelligence, were disban…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_intervention_in_Iraq_(…
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web search NEUTRAL — Iran, which wields considerable influence over Iraqi politics, has also been involved in the political crisis. It has cultivated Shia parties following the removal of President Saddam Hussein in ...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/20/iraqs-ruling-shia-b…
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web search NEUTRAL — Iran has built considerable political clout in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime. Its wide sphere of influence could be expanding, raising domestic tensions and alarming U.S ...
https://www.cfr.org/articles/how-much-influence-does-iran-ha…
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“It has cultivated Shia parties following the removal of President Saddam Hussein in the 2003 US-led military invasion.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that Iran's influence grew in Iraq following the 2003 US-led invasion that removed Saddam Hussein. One source explicitly states, 'It has cultivated Shia parties following the removal of President Saddam Hussein in the 2003 US-led military invasion.'
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ba'athist Iraq, officially the Iraqi Republic (1968–1992) and later the Republic of Iraq (1992–2003), was the Iraqi state between 1968 and 2003 under the one-party rule of the Iraqi regional branch of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba'athist_Iraq
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Saddamism (Arabic: صدامية, romanized: Ṣaddāmiyah), also known as Saddamist Ba'athism (Arabic: البعثية الصدامية, romanized: al-Baʿthīyah as-Ṣaddāmiyah), is a Ba'athist political ideology based on the p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddamism
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The succession to Muhammad in 632 led the Muslims to be split into two camps: the Sunnis, who believed that the caliphs of the Islamic community should be chosen by a council, as in Saqifa; and a seco…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia–Sunni_relations
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Ismail Qaani, the head of the Quds Force, the foreign branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), visited Baghdad at the weekend, aiming to break the leadership deadlock, according to sources.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results report that Ismail Qaani, head of the Quds Force (IRGC), visited Baghdad to address political tensions or deadlock in Iraq.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Esmail Qaani (also rendered as Ismail Qaani; Persian: اسماعیل قاآنی, romanized: Esmāʾil Qāʾānī;‎ 8 August 1957) is an Iranian brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who serv…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esmail_Qaani
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Qasem Soleimani (Persian: قاسم سلیمانی, romanized: Qâsem Soleymâni; 11 March 1957 – 3 January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 199…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qasem_Soleimani
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Quds Force (Persian: نیروی قدس, romanized: niru-ye qods, lit. 'Jerusalem Force') is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It specializes in unconventional warfar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quds_Force
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“His unannounced visit apparently came at the request of the caretaker Prime Minister al-Sudani to convince the Shia Coordination Framework not to nominate Bassem al-Badri, who is aligned with Maliki, as prime minister, according to a source familiar with the discussions.”
SINGLE SOURCE
This specific detail—that caretaker PM al-Sudani requested Qaani's visit specifically to persuade the Coordination Framework against nominating Bassem al-Badri—is only present in the narrative context of the web search results and is not independently corroborated by a second source. However, the general context of Qaani visiting to resolve the deadlock is corroborated.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Starting on 17 October 2023, and in response to United States support for Israel in the Gaza war, Iran-backed militias initiated a coordinated series of more than 170 attacks on US military bases and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacks_on_US_bases_during_the…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Qasem Soleimani (Persian: قاسم سلیمانی, romanized: Qâsem Soleymâni; 11 March 1957 – 3 January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 199…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qasem_Soleimani
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since the start of the Gaza war on 7 October 2023, the UN Human Rights Council has identified "clear evidence" of war crimes by both Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces. A UN Commission to the Israel–…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_crimes_in_the_Gaza_war
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info
“Falih al-Fayadh, chairman of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) and a senior figure in al-Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition, mediated the visit, the source said.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results confirm Falih al-Fayyad is the chairman of the PMF and that he is involved in coalitions with al-Sudani. However, the specific claim that he 'mediated the visit' is presented as a detail from a single source context and lacks independent corroboration.
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web search NEUTRAL — Falih Faisal Fahad Al-Fayyad (Arabic: فالح الفياض; born 27 March 1956) is an Iraqi politician, former national security advisor, [1][2][3][4] and the current chairman of the Popular Mobilization Commi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falih_Al-Fayyad
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web search NEUTRAL — In a televised interview in September 2024, Iraq's former Prime Minister and State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki said that the retirement age is a decision issued by the Administrative Court…
https://thenewregion.com/posts/1539
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web search NEUTRAL — The newly formed Reconstruction and Development Coalition brings together Al-Sudani's own Al-Furatain Movement, the National Coalition led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, and the National Contra…
https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/884194
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“The PMF, also known as al-Hashd al-Shaabi, is an umbrella organisation of mostly Shia armed groups, some of whom have close ties to Iran.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results confirm that the PMF (al-Hashd al-Shaabi) is an umbrella organization of mostly Shia armed groups, and one explicitly notes that some of these groups have close ties to Iran.
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web search NEUTRAL — Saraya al-Dafa al-Shaabi[102].The bill also includes measures such as a mandatory retirement age for senior commanders, which could lead to the replacement of key figures with longstanding ties to Teh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_Mobilization_Forces
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web search NEUTRAL — The PMF, also known as al-Hashd al-Shaabi, is an umbrella organisation of mostly Shia armed groups, some of whom have close ties to neighbouring Iran. A few of these groups first emerged during the Ir…
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/8/18/will-iraq-integ…
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web search NEUTRAL — The PMF, known in Arabic as al-Hashd al-Shaabi, is an umbrella group of mostly Shia paramilitary factions that was formally integrated into Iraq’s state security forces and includes several groups ali…
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2025/07/27/ir…
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“They are part of “the Axis of Resistance” – a network of political and armed groups allied with Iran across the Middle East.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim, despite the claim being about a known political concept (Axis of Resistance). The evidence search returned no results for this specific claim.
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“The US has been wary of Iran’s influence through its allied groups, such as Yemen’s Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah – the most powerful members of the Network.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim, despite the claim being about known geopolitical tensions. The evidence search returned no results for this specific claim.
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“Under Iraq’s power-sharing system (Muhasasa), in place since the first government formation after the 2003 US-led invasion, the presidency goes to the Kurds, the speakership to Sunni Arabs and the post of prime minister to Shia Arabs.”
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“On April 11, Nizar Amedi was appointed president after months of political haggling.”
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“Now the Coordination Framework must nominate a prime minister within 15 days from the president’s appointment.”
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“Al-Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition has 46 seats, and Maliki’s Dawa party commands 29 seats in the parliament.”
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“Al-Badri is the current head of the Accountability and Justice Commission, the body responsible for implementing de-Baathification – the system to remove former ruling Baath party members from Iraqi state institutions.”
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“Qais al-Khazali is leader of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq and its political wing, the Sadiqoun bloc within the Framework, which holds 27 parliamentary seats.”
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“He needs eight – a two-thirds majority required by the bloc’s internal rules – to secure the nomination, according to two sources from different parties within the Framework.”
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“In January, Trump said that Iraq would be making a “very bad choice” should it choose al-Maliki.”
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“A US Embassy official in Baghdad said it does not have a preference for any candidate, except for the opposition to al-Maliki.”
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“We are committed to President Trump’s instructions, which stated clearly that the United States will halt support for Iraq if al-Maliki is elected prime minister.”
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“During his term as prime between 2006 and 2014, al-Maliki was accused of pursuing policies of exclusion of Sunnis from state institutions under the guise of de-Baathification.”
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“A presidential executive order, originally issued by President George W Bush after the Iraq War, grants legal protection to Iraqi oil revenues held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, shielding them from being frozen by Iraq’s creditors.”
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“Separately, the US Treasury designated seven militia commanders belonging to Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, Kata’ib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada on April 17.”
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“In February, before the US-Israeli war on Iran, al-Sudani’s government awarded contracts to the American oil company Chevron to manage oil fields in Basra, Dhi Qar and Salahuddin.”
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“The US State Department summoned Iraqi Ambassador Nizar al-Khairallah for the first time since 2003 and delivered a formal protest over what it described as the Iraqi government’s failure to protect diplomatic missions.”
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“New customs tariffs that took effect on January 1, with rates reaching as high as 30 percent on some goods, have sharply increased the cost of imports – from electrical appliances and furniture to vehicles.”
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“Iraq carries more than 90 trillion dinars ($69bn) in debt, and its state budget remains dependent on oil for roughly 90 percent of revenues – all while the country has been without a fully functioning government for over five months.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.