Fatah Alliance head Hadi al-Amiri formally withdrew his candidacy for prime minister on Tuesday, saying that it is a sacrifice he is willing to make in order for the upcoming government to be formed smoothly. “Our withdrawal was meant to make way for others in the recommendations of the religious authority,” Amiri said in a press conference. However, he reiterated his firm stance on positions confronting and defending the rights of Iraqis. “There is no choice but to embrace political consensus and to prioritize public interest over private interests,” he added. “We must go for a prime minister backed by consensus, in order to guarantee their success,” Amiri said. He noted that al-Binaa bloc forged through alliances has proved political openness towards Kurds and the will to overcome sectarian divisions. The bloc, called al-Binaa Alliance, involves 145 deputies so far. It involves lawmakers from the Fatah Alliance, State of Law Coalition, Victory Alliance, Iraqi Forces Coalition, Arab Decision Alliance, National Party of the Masses, Babylon Movement, and Movement of the Will party. Given the timing on withdrawal, it implies a consensus joining Sadrist movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr and Amiri on backing Adil Abdul-Mahdi. The veteran Shiite politician was informally nominated to replace Haider Al-Abadi. Other political sources rejected the deduction, saying that Abdul-Mahdi is backed by Sadr’s Sairoon Alliance and Ammar al-Hakim’s National Wisdom Movement. On the other hand, local media quoted sources saying that the Najaf-based religious authority debunked claims of Abdul-Mahdi’s nomination. Fazil Mirani, secretary of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) politburo, told the Kurdish media outlet Rudaw, that Abdul-Mahdi is a good man, a specialized economist, and had served as vice president, a deputy prime minister and an oil minister. “He has management experience. As far as politics is concerned, he is a veteran politician with a long political career. He is a moderate man,” Mirani said. In a leak revealing behind-the-scenes talks among Dawa party members, head of the partys political bureau and current Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi blamed party fragmentation on its persistence on running for prime minister.