Baghdad, Iraq – 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.The incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who is eyeing a second term, is facing a challenge from the bloc led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki – a pro-Iran divisive figure whose candidacy is being opposed by the United States.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe 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, while the country faces the delicate task of balancing its ties between the US and its influential eastern neighbour, Iran.Baghdad is in a tight diplomatic spot as the US-Israel war on Iran has spilled into Iraq, with pro-Iranian armed groups having carried out attacks on US assets in solidarity with Tehran.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 the 2003 US-led military invasion.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 …
