Understanding Iraq's Coordination Framework
The Coordination Framework is an umbrella bloc of Iraqi Shiite parties united mostly by their opposition to the Sadrist movement.
BAGHDAD — After the October 2021 elections, two main Shiite groups appeared on the Iraqi political scene: the Sadrist movement, led by the populist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, and the Coordination Framework, which included Shiite forces close to Iran.
The Coordination Framework stymied the efforts of the Sadrist movement and its allies — the Kurdistan Democratic Party led by Masoud Barzani and the Sunni Taqaddum Party headed by Muhammad al-Halbousi — to form a government.
Selecting the president, which is an essential part of forming a government, requires a two thirds vote, and the framework was able to form a blocking third in the parliament.
The process has since been deadlocked, and has included demonstrations and protests organized by both groups, including the Sadrist occupation of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, or parliament.
