DUBAI, UAE - Iraqi lawmaker and former parliamentary speaker candidate Shalan al-Karim warned Saturday of attempts by the Shiite-led Coordination Framework to impose its will on Sunni political forces, ahead of a crucial vote for the speaker of parliament scheduled for October 22.

Karim claimed the political process is being directed by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a key figure within the Coordination Framework.

“There has been no progress on selecting a speaker from the Sunni forces,” Karim said in an interview with The New Region. “However, it appears that there is an agreement between the Coordination Framework and other political forces to move forward with the selection of Mahmoud al-Mashhadani as speaker on October 22.”

The post of the speaker of the Iraqi parliament has remained vacant since November when Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court ruled to rescind Mohammed al-Halbousi’s parliamentary membership.

The former speaker's tenure was abolished based on accusations implicating him in forging the resignation of another Sunni lawmaker in 2022. 

Last week, the Coordination Framework discussed the speaker vote during a meeting at Maliki’s office, according to a statement from the group.

Karim expressed concerns that endorsing Mashhadani would “impose one faction’s will on another,” comparing it to the selection of the president and prime minister, both chosen by their respective ethnic or sectarian blocs — the Kurdish and Shiite parties.

“This is a dangerous precedent that could further undermine the already fragile political process in Baghdad,” Karim said. “The largest political bloc is choosing representatives for other components without consulting their actual MPs.”

He argued that Mashhadani is not a choice made by Sunni lawmakers, but rather by Maliki and the Coordination Framework, further alleging that the latter is “orchestrating” the political landscape and blocking the selection of a Sunni-backed candidate for speaker.

“We, as Sunni forces, insist that the parliamentary session to choose a speaker should be driven by the choices of the MPs themselves, not predetermined by political blocs,” Karim said. “MPs should select their own speaker, not have another faction decide on someone to represent us.”

The selection could hinge on whether candidates Salem al-Issawi and Talal al-Zobaie withdraw from the race, which Karim said remains a possibility. He called for patience ahead of the October 22 vote.

Ammar Al-Hakim, leader of the Hikma Movement, recently met with Muthanna al-Samarrai, head of the Azm Alliance, to advocate for the election of a new speaker in a move intended to “reassure all political components of their inclusion in the decision-making process.”

The post of the parliament speaker has traditionally gone to Sunnis, while the posts of the president and the prime minister have been reserved to Kurds and Shiites, respectively.