SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraq’s federal court said on Sunday President Barham Salih will continue to carry out his duties until the selection of a new president.
The court said in its decision that Salih can continue in his position until a new president will be selected by the Council of Representatives.
The decision came after Salih asked the court to clarify article 72 of Iraqi constitution, which hasn’t indicated solution for the issue of the presidency in the event if the parliament fails to select a new president.
On February 7, the Iraqi parliament failed to select a new president after major parties boycotted the session following the suspension of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) candidate Hoshyar Zebari from presidential race.
Zebari’s suspension came after a lawsuit filed by two lawmakers accused him of years-long corruption.
Earlier on Sunday, the federal court ruled to reject the nomination of Zebari as candidate for the position of the 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.
The Iraqi parliament reopened the door for presidential candidates on Wednesday, saying it would last for a period of three days.
Expert Ali al-Tamimi denounced the announcement as “unconstitutional”, saying that the legal deadline set to elect a president “cannot be broken, except by a decision from the Federal Court or an amendment of the law”, according to AFP.
In multi-confessional and multi-ethnic Iraq, the formation of governments has involved complex negotiations ever since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.
