Iraq’s designated Prime Minister, Adnan al-Zurfi, was on Sunday set to launch official consultations to form the new government, a source close to the PM revealed. Iraqi President Barham Salih designated Zurfi as a PM last week. He is tasked with forming a cabinet within 30 days in a bid to overcome months of unrest and political deadlock. The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Zurfi had earlier begun informal consultations with several political parties in an attempt to open channels of dialogue through mediators with the parties that reject him as a candidate. Asked about what appears to be a wide rejection by prominent Iraqi Shiite leaders and alliances on Zurfi’s name, the source stressed that regardless of the different positions, the final say lies with the parliament. The State of Law coalition, led by former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, and Fatah Coalition, which is headed by Hadi al-Amiri, expressed their outright rejection of the PM-designate. The positions of Ammar al-Hakim’s National Wisdom (al-Hikma) Movement and Nasr coalition of ex-PM Haidar al-Abadi are still unclear. The source highlighted Zurfi’s difficult task, yet he affirmed that blocs which rejected the nomination have not yet agreed on an alternative. He pointed out that lawmakers from several blocs are in disagreement with their leaders on their stance from Zurfi, who previously served as governor of the predominantly Shiite Najaf province for two consecutive terms. Despite facing obstacles, Zurfi has pledged to form a strong government. “I look forward to a better tomorrow, in which everyone can live a comfortable life under a cabinet capable of carrying out its constitutional and humanitarian duties,” the PM-designate said in a statement on the occasion of Nowruz Saturday. In his speech on the same occasion, Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani said Kurds “will support a government that addresses the legitimate grievances of all citizens in Iraq while safeguarding the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan Region.” But there seems to be a lack of unanimity among Sunni lawmakers although Zurfi appears to be a “good option for the sect in general,” according to former head of the Iraqi Forces Coalition Salah al-Jabouri. Jabouri told Asharq Al-Awsat that Sunnis don’t object any Shiite candidate to fill the PMs post, but the majority of Sunni parties view Zurfi as a figure capable of dealing with the challenges facing Iraq in the coming period.