During a phone call on Tuesday, President Masoud Barzani congratulated Ali al-Zaidi on his appointment as Prime Minister of federal Iraq, and noted that this is an opportunity to correct the course of the political process.

On Monday, al-Zaidi, an Iraqi businessman, was nominated as prime minister by Iraq’s ruling Shi’a Coordination Framework, and tasked to form the new government.

According to a readout from the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office, President Barzani congratulated al-Zaidi on his nomination.

Furthermore, during the call, “both sides stressed the importance of strengthening communication among all national forces in order to expedite the formation of the government in a way that fulfills the aspirations of our people across the country.”

Also on Monday, several Kurdish leaders congratulated al-Zaidi on his nomination as prime minister.

“We congratulated Mr. Ali al-Zaidi during a phone call on his assignment as Prime Minister of the federal government, expressing our wishes for his success in forming the new federal cabinet,” Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani posted on X on Monday.