Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Via AP news wire

Iraqi lawmakers fail to elect president for a second time

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Iraqi lawmakers failed for a second time on Saturday to select a head of state, further deepening a political crisis spurred by infighting following federal elections five months ago.

Only 202 lawmakers arrived to Iraq's parliament, falling short of the two-thirds quorum required for the 329-member legislature to conduct an electoral session to select the country's president. Saturday's vote could not be held as many lawmakers allied with Iran-backed parties did not attend. Another electoral session is scheduled for Wednesday.

Iraqi politicians have so far failed to agree on a compromise candidate for the presidency, exacerbating a political vacuum that also prevents the appointment of a prime minister. Political groups now have two options, lawmakers said: Continue negotiations until consensus is reached or dissolve parliament and hold federal elections again.

“Now the political process is in trouble,” said Shiite lawmaker Muhammad Saadoun Al-Sayhoud.

Only 58 lawmakers showed up to the first presidential vote in parliament in early February. That time, al-Sadr boycotted the session after Iraq’s Supreme Court suspended the nomination of front-runner Hoshyar Zebari, his bloc's endorsed candidate. This time, their lawmakers arrived to parliament, draped in white shrouds that Muslims use to wrap their dead, in a sign of their willingness to die for the cleric.

Saturday's failure to achieve quorum reflects ongoing disagreements between Moqtada al-Sadr, who won the largest number of seats in the 2021 October federal election, and a coalition of Iran-backed Shiite parties that form the Coordination Framework over the nomination of candidates.

Al-Sadr's win, with 73 seats, was a major upset to Iran-backed parties. But the powerful cleric's intention to form a government with Kurdish and Sunni allies while excluding the Iran-backed parties has proven difficult. Rebar Khalid, interior minister in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, has been the choice candidate of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, al-Sadr's ally.

Lawmakers belonging to their Kurdish rivals, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, were conspicuous no-shows to the session.

Parallel to the parliament session, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, allied with the Coordination Framework, held a gathering in his home with many lawmakers in attendance, in open defiance of the vote.

Based on an agreement forged after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, Iraq’s presidency — a largely ceremonial role — is held by a Kurd, while the prime minister is Shiite and the parliament speaker is Sunni.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's government has been carrying out state duties with a caretaker status.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.