Shafaq News – Baghdad

A senior leader in Iraq’s Badr Organization on Tuesday described the position of first deputy speaker of parliament as a Shiite entitlement with political weight equivalent to 15 parliamentary seats.

Speaking with Shafaq News, Moayad Al-Kadhimi noted that the post falls within the share of the Coordination Framework (CF), an umbrella alliance that brings together Iraq’s main Shiite political forces, noting that several factions within the Framework, including Badr, Sadiqoun, and the State of Law Coalition (SLC), have nominated figures they consider qualified for the role, while stressing that discussions remain ongoing and no final decision has yet been reached.

If the SLC secures the post of prime minister, he added, it would not also retain the first deputy speaker position, which would then likely be allocated to either Badr or Sadiqoun as part of internal balancing within the Framework.

A source within the CF told Shafaq News earlier this week that competition among its factions has expanded beyond cabinet portfolios to include senior parliamentary positions, with the first deputy speakership emerging as a key bargaining point.

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Iraq concluded its sixth parliamentary election since 2003 on November 11, with nationwide turnout exceeding 56%. The final results showed that Shiite parties secured 187 seats, Sunnis 77 seats, and Kurds 56 seats. Under the post-2003 power-sharing system, the premiership is allocated to a Shiite Arab, the speakership to a Sunni Arab, and the presidency to a Kurd. The parliamentary leadership comprises a speaker and two deputies, who oversee legislative sessions and coordinate the work of the Council of Representatives.

On December 14, Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court ratified the final election results. The Iraqi president later set December 29 as the date for the first session of the new parliament, which, under the constitution, must include the election of a speaker and two deputies. Within 30 days of that session, parliament is required to elect a new president, who must then name a prime minister-designate within 15 days. The prime minister-designate is given 30 days to form a cabinet.