With formal results putting Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's list on top in last week's parliamentary election, the Coordination Framework — a powerful alliance of Shiite parties — met Monday to chart its next move in the high-stakes race to form a government.

Members of the framework met in Baghdad after the results were released to discuss a “roadmap for forming the new government through consensus,” the group said in a statement carried by local media. The framework added that they form the largest parliamentary bloc following the release of the results. 

The Coordination Framework formed in 2022 and helped secure support for Sudani’s nomination as prime minister after roughly a year of deliberations over a new premier following the 2021 election. Sudani and Nouri al-Maliki, a former prime minister and head of the State of Law Coalition, are both key figures in the alliance. 

Results from the Independent High Electoral Commission showed that Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development list won 46 seats in the 329-member parliament, more than any other party. The State of Law coalition came in second with 29 seats, while Progress, a Sunni party, and Sadiqun, a Shiite party close to Iran that is also a member of the framework, each won 27 seats. The Shiite party National State Forces (NSF) alliance won 18 seats, while Badr, another pro-Iran Shiite party, won 17 seats. Both NSF and Badr are part of the Coordination Framework. The Sunni party Azem won 15 seats, according to a tally compiled by Al-Monitor.