VP Mahdi announced in a press conference on Wednesday May, 5 2010, that the dialogues with the rest of the lists, including Aliraqiah and the Kurdistan are continuing, and that the coming days will witness meetings with these political forces for the development of perceptions to push the political process forward.

VP Mahdi rejected the characterization of the Alliance as a return to sectarian retrenchment, and explained it by saying "Today, our Kurdish brothers are trying to be a single list, does that mean entrenched sectarian, and Sunni Arabs brothers are generally organized as a single list, is this entrenched sectarianism?"

VP Mahdi pointed out that the sectarian retrenchment becomes a reality when a particular bloc at the center of the arena goes against other blocs considered. The consolidation of blocs is a prelude to unify the Iraqi arena.

About the issue of the candidate for prime minister, VP Mahdi said: "There is no barrier in front of anyone, and there is no imposition of anyone, certain specifications have been developed for the next prime minister, and whomever fits with these standards depending on the circumstances and the balance of this particular stage and not outside, we will support that particular candidate."

VP Mahdi announced that the mechanism for the selection of Prime Minister will be discussed during the two weeks, and the position is open for everyone to submit their candidates within the two coalitions, and if no agreement is reached on a single candidate during these two weeks, we will resort to voting mechanisms, and if we will not get a specific outcome, there are other ways will be discussed at the time.

VP Mahdi stressed that the existing differences among the blocs on who would be entitled to form the next government will be resolved in the end within the parliament, that no one can take the prime minister if he was not able to win (163) votes.

In a response to a question by a satellite channel on how to balance between the Government of national partnership and the marginalization of the Aliraqiah List, VP Mahdi emphasized that no one wants to marginalize Aliraqiah list and he confirmed that the Aliraqiah list is a genuine partner in this process and it has the right to put forward their views, but others also have the right to put forward their visions. Aliraqiah list obtained (91) seats, and that makes it unable to form a government by itself.

Adding to that by saying: eventually we must sit together to decide how we will form the government, (91) seats alone does not form a government, (89) seats alone does not form a government and (70) seats alone does not form a government, and therefore we need to negotiations and an agreement to set up the government.

In connection with what had been mentioned that Aliraqiah list might withdraw from the political process in the event of an alliance between INA and state of law, he emphasized that it is not true that one list withdraws because others agree, considered that a punitive condition and unconstitutional.

VP Mahdi also emphasized that Aliraqiah list is an important list and it came on the top other lists, and it must participate with distinction in the next government, but the issue should not be managed in a way that if one list get agreed with other list, I withdraw.

He stressed that the agreements between the blocks is a natural right, and when we heard that there were negotiations between Aliraqiah and state of law, we welcomed these negotiations, because the process cannot be managed unilaterally, but everyone must cooperate to pull the country out of the current situation.