Shafaq News– Baghdad

Forty-one candidates have entered Iraq’s presidential race, including the daughter of former President Fouad Masum, a parliamentary source told Shafaq News on Sunday.

Despite the crowded field, only 30 candidates had formally submitted nomination papers to parliament’s legal department by the end of Sunday, signaling an imminent narrowing of the race through procedural vetting.

Parliament has set tomorrow as the final deadline for submissions, according to a notice issued late yesterday.

Under Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing system, the presidency is traditionally held by a Kurdish politician. In that context, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is expected to nominate one or two candidates from a shortlist approved by its political bureau.

A party source said the names under consideration are incumbent President Abdul Latif Rashid, former environment minister Nizar Amedi, and Justice Minister Khaled Shawani.

Read more: Iraq Parliament finalizes speakership, heads toward presidential vote