Iraq’s president ask PM-designate Ali al-Zaidi to form government
Key takeaways
- Iraq’s president on Monday tasked businessman Ali al-Zaidi with forming a government after he was nominated prime minister by the country’s dominant parliamentary bloc.
- The announcement came shortly after the Coordination Framework, an alliance of Shia factions with varying links to Iran and that had initially nominated Maliki, endorsed Zaidi to be its candidate.
- The Coordination Framework had initially backed powerbroker Nouri al-Maliki to become the country’s next prime minister, but an ultimatum by US President Donald Trump reshuffled the cards.
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Iraq’s president on Monday tasked businessman Ali al-Zaidi with forming a government after he was nominated prime minister by the country’s dominant parliamentary bloc. Zaidi is a political newcomer and has never before held a government post.
By: FRANCE 24 Iraqi President Nizar Amedi and Ali al-Zaidi, the nominee of Iraq's Shiite Coordination Framework for prime minister, stand with political figures during a ceremony where Zaidi was tasked with forming a new government, in Baghdad, Iraq on April 27, 2026. © Iraqi President Media Office via Reuters “President Nizar Amede has tasked Ali al-Zaidi, the candidate of the largest parliamentary bloc, with forming the new government,” the presidency said in a statement.
The announcement came shortly after the Coordination Framework, an alliance of Shia factions with varying links to Iran and that had initially nominated Maliki, endorsed Zaidi to be its candidate.