Shafaq News / Legal expert, Ali al-Tamimi, explained the mechanism of declaring the state of alert in the country.

Al-Tamimi told Shafaq News agency that according to article 61 of the constitution, the state alert must be declared after the approval of two-thirds of the Parliament members, and upon the request of the President of the country and Parliament Speaker.

He added that the state of law alert usually lasts for 30 days and can be extended, noting that the caretaker government can submit a request to declare it.

According to al-Tamimi, the state of alert is declared for security reasons, during which arrests can be carried out without judicial approvals. 

Yesterday, Iraq's parliament failed again to vote for a president after the Iran-backed Shiite Coordination Framework boycotted the session.

Al-Sadr had hoped parliament would elect Rebar Ahmed, a veteran Kurdish intelligence official and current interior minister of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region.

But only 202 members of parliament out of 329 were present, which is less than the necessary two-thirds quorum needed to choose a new president for the mostly ceremonial post, while 126 lawmakers boycotted the session.

The delay prolongs a bitter deadlock in Iraqi politics months after an October general election from which al-Sadr emerged the biggest winner, with his Shiite, pro-Iran rivals receiving a hammering at the polls. 

The vote on the president was postponed to Wednesday. The current caretaker government will continue to run the country until a new government is formed