SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi Council of Representatives on Monday announced names of 25 candidates for the country’s presidency.
The candidates included Barham Salih of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and Hoshiar Zebari of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), according to a parliament’s statement.
The approval of Zebari as a candidate for the presidency comes as dozens of Iraqis protest in Baghdad against his nomination.
In 2016, Iraqi parliament sacked Zebari from his post as finance minister over alleged corruptions and misuse of public funds. Zebari denied the accusations.
Zebari, who also served as Iraq’s foreign minister for more than a decade, lost a no-confidence vote by 158 to 77.
The Council of Representatives, which re-elected Mohammed al-Halbousi as its speaker, will hold a session on February 7 to elect a new president for the country.
