ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraqi President Nizar Amedi on Friday urged the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework to expedite presenting its nominee for prime minister, calling it “a constitutional obligation” that cannot be delayed, ahead of the bloc's meeting later in the day.

Leaders of the Coordination Framework are set to hold a key meeting on Friday night to finalize the selection of their nominee for the Iraqi premiership.

The competition is currently between Ihsan al-Awadi, chief of staff to incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, and Basim al-Badri, a senior State of Law Coalition figure backed by Nouri al-Maliki, informed sources told The New Region.

“We emphasize the necessity of adhering to the constitutional timelines for nominating the candidate of the largest parliamentary bloc, considering this a constitutional obligation that cannot be delayed and a national responsibility incumbent upon everyone,” Amedi wrote on X.

According to the constitutional timeline, the prime minister must be nominated within 15 days following the election of the new President, with the deadline in this case expiring on April 26.

Under Article 76 of the Iraqi Constitution, the prime minister-designate must then present his cabinet to parliament within 30 days.

“Expediting this process will strengthen political stability, ensure the proper functioning of institutions, and respond to citizens' aspirations for a government capable of fulfilling its duties and serving their interests, especially in light of the sensitive circumstances that necessitate prioritizing the country's higher interests,” Amedi added.

On Thursday, the Iraqi parliament voted to extend its legislative period by an additional month to facilitate the government formation process and allow the Coordination Framework - the largest parliamentary bloc - to nominate a candidate for the post, Jamal Kochar, a Kurdish lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament, told The New Region.

A Monday meeting of the Shiite bloc’s leaders did not see it settle on a final candidate for the post. The meeting came after an earlier session was already postponed amid disagreements inside the alliance.

The bloc had scheduled another meeting for Wednesday but was later postponed to Friday to allow more time for discussions on a consensus candidate.