Iraq faces political disarray after Trump opposes Maliki’s return

Iraq’s Shia Islamist political parties are scrambling to find a way forward in forming the next government after U.S. President Donald Trump announced his opposition to former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Trump’s statement on Jan. 27 came days after the Coordination Framework — a fractious coalition of Shia Islamist parties — announced Maliki as its nominee for the premiership, appearing to give him a chance at assembling a governing coalition, seemingly at the expense of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s bid for a second term.