2 days ago
Iraq's CF ‘uneasy' over three political shifts ahead of 2025 polls
Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Home Front movement (Harak al-Bayt al-Iraqi) warned on Wednesday that the Coordination Framework (CF), a political alliance of predominantly Shiite parties, is growing increasingly uneasy over three key shifts that could upend the political landscape ahead of the November 2025 elections.
Movement leader Muhyi al-Ansari told Shafaq News the CF fears the possible return of the Patriotic Shiite Movement (formerly the Sadrists), especially if it aligns with civil groups or Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, arguing such a coalition could seriously disrupt the current balance of power.
Al-Ansari also criticized Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission for 'failing' to enforce the Political Parties Law, which prohibits armed factions from contesting elections—calling the lapse a 'direct constitutional breach.'
The third concern, he noted, is growing public support for independents and technocrats, which threatens to weaken traditional political blocs.
Several key figures have already announced their candidacies, including Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition; al-Sudani of the Euphrates Movement (Al-Furatain); Hadi al-Amiri, head of the Badr Organization; Former Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi of the Progressive (Taqaddum) Party; and Mohsen al-Mandalawi, head of the National Foundation (Al-Asas) Coalition.
Badr MP Mukhtar al-Mousawi called the upcoming vote 'difficult and decisive,' pointing to a trend among veteran leaders forming separate lists as Sudani distances himself from the CF.
Analyst Mujashaa al-Tamimi told Shafaq News that the return of familiar names signals a tactical shift amid changing dynamics. 'Baghdad has become the focal point of political competition,' he said, warning that reformist forces could challenge entrenched elites.
Meanwhile, the CF scrapped earlier plans to run fragmented slates and will now field joint lists in Diyala, Nineveh, and Saladin. The decision follows the formation of a new alliance—Qarar (Decision)—led by al-Sudani's al-Furatin Movement, al-Amiri's Badr Organization, and PMF chief Faleh al-Fayyadh.
