Iraqi President Barham Salih called on Wednesday for the formation of a new government that can "confront the challenges" even as differences persist between the political parties that won the October parliamentary elections.
The parliament is set to meet for the first time on Sunday.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the second anniversary of the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad, Salih said: "We are faced with a major national responsibility."
"We must work on preventing the re-occurrence of terrorist tragedies and preventing extremist and terrorist cells from carrying out attacks in a desperate attempt to meddle with our security and peace," he urged.
"We must therefore unite national ranks for the sake of protecting civil peace. This also demands radical reform to secure a dignified life for the people," added the president.
The new parliament must be allowed to carry out its duties and confront challenges lurking in our country and region, he stressed.
The winners of the elections have yet to agree on the final form of the largest parliamentary bloc that will hold sway over the formation of a new government.
The Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish forces continue to debate over whether the government will be formed through consensus or be "majoritarian".
Debate is also raging over whether to re-elect President Salih and Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to another term. Debate is also ongoing over the position of parliament speaker.
Given the sharp differences, attention will be focused on Sunday's parliamentary meeting, which will likely be limited to the swearing in of the new lawmakers.
According to the constitution, however, the session should also elect a new speaker and his deputy, as well as declare the largest parliamentary bloc. This appears unlikely given the ongoing disputes.
Legal expert Faisal Rikan stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the first meeting of parliament should not be postponed.
Holding the inaugural session is outlined in the constitution and the president is obligated to call it to session within 15 days of the ratification of the elections results, he explained.
Nowhere does the constitution allow the postponement of the first meeting, he stressed.
The inaugural meeting is dedicated to the election of a new speaker and his deputy, and opening nominations for the position of president, he said. It will also determine the largest bloc in line with stipulations of the Federal Supreme Court.
The parliament will remain in session until these constitutional obligations are fulfilled, Rikan stated.
As it stands, disputes continue to persist over the largest parliamentary bloc.
Head of the Sadrist movement, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was the victor in the elections. He has been seeking to form a parliamentary majority but has been confronted by challenges from the losing Shiite, mainly pro-Iran, factions. Since losing the elections, the factions have formed the "Coordination Framework" and have sought consensus over the largest bloc.
The Sadrists have yet to declare a stance over the largest bloc.
The Coordination Framework members are making almost daily statements that they may form the largest bloc without Sadr in an effort to keep the Shiite ranks united.
The Sunni and Kurdish powers, meanwhile, are hoping for inter-Shiite agreement so that they would not find themselves aligned with one Shiite bloc and not the other.
