• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Coordination Framework

The Coordination Framework is an umbrella bloc of Iraqi Shiite parties united mostly by their opposition to the Sadrist movement. 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 "Coordinating Framework" is an Iraqi political coalition formed in October 2021 from Shiite forces with the aim of forming a consensual quota government. The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, opposed it, demanding a political majority government. The coordination framework formed the major force within the House of Representatives for the purpose of choosing the prime minister and forming the government, and about 130 parliamentarians out of 329 fell under this framework, after the Sadrist bloc withdrew from the House of Representatives (73 representatives) in June 2022.

The coordination framework was formed on October 11, 2021, with the aim of coordinating the positions of the Shiite forces rejecting the initial results of the early parliamentary elections, which demanded a manual recount, due to the significant decline in the number of their seats compared to the previous elections.

The framework included a group of forces allied with Iran and the Popular Mobilization Forces factions, namely: the “State of Law Coalition” led by Nouri al-Maliki, the “Al-Fatah Alliance” led by Hadi al-Amiri, the “Ataa Movement,” the “Huqooq Movement,” and the “Virtue Party,” in addition to To the "Alliance of State Forces" led by Ammar al-Hakim and Haider al-Abadi.

Despite the varying orientations of the Coordination Framework forces, it consists of a group of Islamic parties and forces, which are classified among the Shiite forces loyal to Iran, and have good relations and a close connection with Iran.

• Hadi Al-Amiri, leader of the Al-Fatah Coalition, was head of the Security and Defense Committee, then Minister of Transport during Nouri al-Maliki’s term. He heads the Badr Organization, one of the main factions in what is known as the “Popular Mobilization Forces”, which is a coalition of several armed groups that participated in the war against the Islamic State. It was later integrated into the Iraqi army.

• Nouri al-Maliki, leader of the Dawa Party, he served the longest term as prime minister in Iraq between 2006 and 2014, and was Vice President of the Republic from September 9, 2014 until August 11, 2015.
• Ammar al-Hakim is a Shiite politician and spiritual leader, heads the "Hikmah Movement", and is considered a central figure in the coordination framework.
• Haider Al-Abadi, the former Iraqi Prime Minister took office in 2014 until October 2018, and was a prominent member of the Islamic Dawa Party, before he announced his withdrawal from it to head the Al-Nasr Alliance, which is currently part of the “National State Forces” coalition with the “Al-Hikma Movement” led by Ammar Al-Hakim.
• Qais Khazali was born in 1974, and was one of the leaders in the Mahdi Army of the Sadrist movement in 2003. He founded the “Asaib Ahl al-Haq” group in 2005, and the “Al-Sadiqoun” bloc in the House of Representatives.

Challenging the results of the early elections in 2021 was the first political position issued by the Coordination Framework, as it pledged to take all available measures to prevent voter tampering.

In October 2021, supporters of the Coordination Framework took to the streets in protests demanding the cancellation of the election results, and the Coordination of Armed Factions threatened to resort to fighting if the demonstrators rejecting the results were harmed.

In December 2021, the framework announced the formation of 3 committees, the first headed by Hadi Al-Amiri to dialogue with Muqtada Al-Sadr, the second headed by Nouri Al-Maliki to dialogue with the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Masoud Barzani, and the third headed by Qais Al-Khazali to dialogue with the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance led by the leader of the “Taqaddam” bloc. Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi and Azm Bloc leader Khamis al-Khanjar.

On January 10, 2022, the “Coordinating Framework” coalition in Iraq announced its refusal to elect the Speaker of Parliament and his two deputies, and considered it “illegal” in the absence of the older interim Speaker of Parliament.

On February 9, 2022, the Coordination Framework launched an initiative in which it called on all political forces and national figures to begin a new phase of communication and dialogue, to fulfill constitutional entitlements and complete sovereign positions in order to achieve a true partnership in managing the country.

On March 31, 2022, the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, announced that the “coordination framework” would be given an opportunity to discuss with the parliamentary parties, with the exception of his list, to form the government and get out of the political crisis that the country has been suffering from for months.

In early April 2022, the Coordination Framework responded to Al-Sadr’s deadline, affirming its adherence to the major bloc, and called on the Sadrist bloc to form a joint committee between them to agree on naming a prime minister for the Iraqi government.

In May 2022, after failing to form a consensus government, the Coordination Framework launched a new initiative to address the political impasse, by having all parties sit at the dialogue table and discuss solutions and remedies without prior conditions or restrictions.

In June 2022, the framework became the largest force in the Iraqi parliament after the resignation of all representatives of the Sadrist bloc, and confirmed its openness to all political forces in order to form the government.

On July 25, 2022, the “Coordination Framework” forces coalition announced the nomination of Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani to head the next government, which prompted supporters of the Sadrist movement to storm the Iraqi parliament building and stage a sit-in inside it in protest against this nomination.

On July 31, 2022, the Coordination Framework called on its supporters to demonstrate in defense of the state and its institutions, and in response to statements by the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, in which he considered the political developments taking place in Iraq to be an opportunity for a radical change to the political system, the constitution, and the elections.

Iraq’s governing Shia alliance emerged as the biggest winner in the country’s provincial elections. The loose coalition of Shia groups, called the Shia Coalition Framework (CF), took 101 of 285 council seats in the December 18 vote, Iraqi state media reports. The election result is seen as a boon to the Iran-aligned groups, which have been steadily gaining influence, in advance of a parliamentary election scheduled for 2025.

The Coordination Framework forces in Iraq achieved unprecedented success in the first elections for provincial councils in a decade on 18 December 2023, taking advantage of the Sadrist movement’s boycott of those elections. But according to observers, this victory will be under the microscope of strict popular surveillance.

Other contenders in the vote included Sunni business mogul Khamees Khanjar, whose list won 14 seats, and deposed Sunni Parliament Speaker Mohammed Halbousi, who took 22 seats, including winning the most votes in Baghdad and Anbar province. A host of local lists and smaller groups won the remaining seats. Despite fears of violence, the voting process unfolded largely peacefully, barring a few scattered incidents.

Iraq’s governing Shia alliance reportedly emerged as the biggest winner in the country’s provincial elections. The loose coalition of Shia groups, called the Shia Coalition Framework (CF), took 101 of 285 council seats in the December 18 vote, Iraqi state media reports. The election result was seen as a boon to the Iran-aligned groups, which have been steadily gaining influence, in advance of a parliamentary election scheduled for 2025.

CF already forms the biggest bloc in Iraq’s parliament. The grouping ran three lists in the provincial election, but said they would govern together after the vote, the first such agreement in a decade. The victory strengthened the CF’s influence over Iraq’s powerful provincial councils, which are responsible for appointing regional governors and allocating health, transport and education budgets.

The Shia alliance’s top list, which won 43 seats, brings together several of Iraq’s most influential Iran-allied military-political groups, including the Badr Organisation and Asaib Ahl al-Haq. The second list, which took 35 seats, is headed by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The third, winning 23 seats, includes moderate Shia leader Ammar al-Hakim and former Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi. Together, the allied lists will control 101 seats in the provincial assemblies, more than any other bloc.

The CF’s electoral success was aided in part by a boycott from one of its main rivals, the populist Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadr. Al-Sadr, whose party resigned from parliament in 2022 after failing to form a governing coalition, called on his supporters to stay away from the polls so as not to grant legitimacy to a “corrupt” ruling class.

CF already formed the biggest bloc in Iraq’s parliament. The grouping ran three lists in the provincial election, but said they would govern together after the vote, the first such agreement in a decade. The victory strengthened the CF’s influence over Iraq’s powerful provincial councils, which are responsible for appointing regional governors and allocating health, transport and education budgets.

Iraq’s election commission said six million people voted in the polls, with a turnout rate of 41 percent. The results of the provincial polls, Iraq’s first in a decade, reflected the balance of power in a country where groups close to neighbouring Iran have steadily gained influence. They are a positive sign for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who counts on the winning CF alliance as his government’s main backer. Following the vote count, al-Sudani urged quick action to address the country’s development challenges.

“I congratulate the political forces and successful candidates in the Provincial Council Elections,” said al-Sudani on the social media platform X. “I hope this trust quickly transforms into tangible public service, contributing to the implementation of government plans for development, reconstruction, and service provision,” he said.