Iraqi parliament to convene to select new president

A handout picture released by Iraq’s Prime Minister’s Media Office on January 9, 2022 shows Iraqi lawmakers attending the inaugural session of the parliament in Baghdad, three months after legislative elections. (AFP photo)

SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Iraqi Council of Representatives on Saturday is scheduled once again to elect a new president for the country amid uncertainty if the session would be held due to a lack of quorum.

Parliament has issued a final list of 40 candidates for the post, a largely ceremonial role reserved for the Kurds.

Barham Salih, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) candidate, will contest Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP)Rebar Ahmed, a candidate for Save the Nation alliance between the Sadrist Movement, Sunnis and the KDP.

Lack of a quorum – two-thirds of the house’s 329 members – and legal issues have held up the vote, deepening war-scarred Iraq’s political uncertainty.

The president has to then name a prime minister, who must be backed by the largest bloc in parliament.

Politicians and analysts believe the Iraqi parliament would fail to hold the session due to a lack of quorum and disagreements between the parties.

Even if the election goes ahead as scheduled from 11:00 a.m., “it will not be decided from the first round,” in which the winner needs a two-thirds majority, AFP quoted political analyst Ihsan al-Shammari as saying.

The candidate with most votes would run uncontested in a second-round ballot but would again need to secure a two-thirds majority.

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