Iraq's Shiite coalition that won the country's Jan. 30 elections on Tuesday named interim Vice President and leader of Dawa party Ibrahim al-Jafari as candidate for prime minister, the Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV channel reported.

"In the coming days, Mr. Jafari probably will be announced the candidate for the premiership," the channel said, citing sources from the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

A source from another main party in the Shiite alliance, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, confirmed that its own candidate, Finance Minister Adil Abdul-Mehdi, had withdrawn from the race. Jafari was selected after discussions with other lists on Monday, said the report.

The Shiite coalition, backed by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, won 48.1 percent of votes in the elections and is expected to hold more than half of seats in the new parliament.