Nouri Al Maliki to return as Iraq’s prime minister
On Saturday, the main Shiite bloc in Iraq’s parliament, which holds a majority, nominated Maliki to become prime minister, effectively securing his return.
A central figure in Iraqi politics and the only two-term premier since the 2003 US invasion, the 75-year-old Shiite Arab has long balanced relations with both Iran and the United States, becoming a key powerbroker whose endorsement is considered vital for forming any governing coalition.
Maliki spent nearly 25 years in exile opposing Saddam Hussein’s autocratic rule before returning to Iraq after the US-led invasion toppled the regime. Born Nuri Kamal Al Maliki in a predominantly Shiite town south of Baghdad, he joined the Islamic Dawa Party while at university. Following the party’s ban and the execution of its founder, Ayatollah Mohammed Baqr Al Sadr, Maliki fled Iraq in 1979.
He spent time in Iran and Syria, editing the Dawa newspaper and coordinating cross-border operations from Iran under the nom de guerre “Jawad.” After returning post-invasion, Maliki served on the de-Baathification commission, which barred members of Saddam’s Baath Party from public office—a US-led programme widely criticized for fueling insurgency by removing thousands of experienced civil servants, many of whom were Sunni.
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