Except for the Sadrist Movement member Ali Al-Tamimi, who was appointed as the Governor of Baghdad in 2013 and removed about three years later, the "State of Law" coalition led by Nouri Al-Maliki has dominated the position for the past two decades. It is now on the verge of reclaiming it again after the initial results of the local elections emerged and the "Coordination Framework" announced the formation of a unified alliance across all councils.
Since the first local elections held in 2009, Al-Maliki's coalition has solidified its grip on the position of Governor of Baghdad, which has been held by members of the coalition and the Islamic Dawa Party, including Salah Abdul-Razzaq, Awtan Al-Awtani, and most recently, the outgoing governor Mohammed Jabir Al-Atta.
The local elections, according to the announced preliminary results, yielded critical outcomes despite the "Progress" party, led by dismissed parliament speaker Muhammad Al-Halbousi, winning the most votes. However, the forces of the "Coordination Framework," which includes Al-Maliki and other Shiite parties, decided to ally with each other to tip the balance in their favor and achieve the absolute majority required to appoint the governor.
Days after the preliminary results were announced, the prospects of the "Progress" party became questionable despite winning nine seats in Baghdad, especially with the likelihood of its ranking falling to second or third place after the manual counting of the remaining ballots is completed.
Members of Sunni parties expressed concern over "strong attempts to influence the results, especially in Baghdad." Al-Halbousi's chances might also be affected by difficulties faced by his party in forming alliances with competitors from Sunni parties that currently hold 12 seats in Baghdad, which would give them a total of 21 seats out of 49 in the Baghdad council.
With the "Coordination Framework" forces in Baghdad reportedly obtaining about 25 seats based on preliminary results, which may increase after the special voting count is completed, the task for Al-Halbousi's coalition to govern the capital appears almost impossible, even with alliances with other Sunni forces.
However, as was the case with the Governor of Baghdad, who was monopolized by the "State of Law" in previous terms, Al-Halbousi's coalition, if it could reach an understanding with Sunni forces—a challenging endeavor—might win the position of the President of the Provincial Council (a supervisory position), which has been dominated by Sunni forces in previous terms.
