SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Iraqi Council of Representatives on Monday postponed presidential indefinitely vote after quorum wasn’t met.
Esta Media Network reporter Bzhar Dabagh said only 58 out of 329 lawmakers attended Monday’s session set for the selection of a new president.
Parliamentary blocs from the Shia parties, Sunnis and Kurds boycotted the session, according to the reporter.
On Saturday, the Sadrist movement led by Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said it would boycott the session on the selection of a new president.
A political alliance aligned with Iran said in a statement on Sunday it was against the holding of the Monday parliamentary session to pick a president.
The Iraqi federal court ruled on Sunday to suspend procedures for the nomination of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) candidate Hoshyar Zebari for the presidency.
The court said the candidacy of Zebari could not proceed until corruption charges from a separate 2016 stint as finance minister were dealt with.
The decision was a blow to Sadr, who was the biggest winner in an October election and has vowed to quickly push through a government that could exclude Iranian allies.
Sadr, the KDP and an alliance of Sunni Muslim lawmakers had supported Zebari’s bid for president.
In 2016, Iraqi parliament sacked Zebari from his post as finance minister over alleged corruptions and misuse of public funds. Zebari denied the accusations.
Monday’s postponement deteriorates Iraq’s political troubles because it is the task of the president, within 15 days of being elected, to formally name a prime minister from the largest bloc in parliament.
The prime minister, a Shia Muslim according to political tradition, then has a month to form his government.
Sadr’s bloc claims it controls enough seats for a “national majority government”.
However, the Coordination Framework grouping several Shia parties has appealed to the Supreme Court to have their grouping recognized as the biggest.
The country’s apex court has rejected this demand, saying it could not decide now, as the size of parliamentary blocs could shift.
Iraq normally enters months of political deadlock after each general election as the political elite jockey for spots in the new government. Iraqis are increasingly disillusioned with the political process, accusing almost all their politicians of corruption.
*This story was updated at 04:10 p.m. EBL time
