Shafaq News– Baghdad

Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court on Friday reinstated four previously disqualified presidential contenders, increasing the number of approved nominees to 19, parliament revealed.

In a statement, parliament said the court found the four candidates had been improperly excluded and ordered their names added to the final ballot.

Lawmakers must elect a president by January 28, 30 days after parliament’s first session and the election of Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi on Dec. 29. Under the constitution, the president then has 15 days to task the largest parliamentary bloc, which is the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), with forming a government.

Leading contenders include Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, backed by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP); Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) nominee Nizar Amedi; and incumbent President Abdul Latif Rashid. Under Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing system, the presidency is reserved for a Kurd, the speakership for a Sunni Arab, and the premiership for a Shiite Arab.

The KDP and PUK have yet to agree on a joint candidate, placing the CF in a decisive position. The alliance has not announced support for any Kurdish nominee and has yet to settle on a candidate for prime minister.

No Iraqi government formed since 2003 has met constitutional deadlines for completing the political transition.

Read more: Can a Kurdish framework emerge? Iraq’s new political alignments test the Kurdish house