Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian called Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Friday to congratulate him on his “glorious success” in this week’s parliamentary election.
Sudani is the leader of an alliance of Shiite factions, some with close ties to Iran, and is currently negotiating the formation of a new coalition to remain in office.
“I hope that during the new term, our relations and cooperation in all areas will develop and deepen further,” Pezeshkian said, according to a statement from his office.
Sudani came first in Iraq’s parliamentary election, the Independent High Electoral Commission said on Wednesday. His coalition received 1.317 million votes in Tuesday’s election, the commission said.
Sudani was seeking a second term in Tuesday’s election, but many disillusioned young voters saw the vote simply as a vehicle for established parties to divide Iraq’s oil wealth.
However, Sudani tried to cast himself as the leader who could make Iraq a success after years of instability, arguing he had moved against established parties that brought him to power.
No party can form a government on its own in Iraq’s 329-member legislature, so parties build alliances with other groups to become an administration, a fraught process that often takes many months.