Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Reconstruction and Development (Al-Ima’ar wal Tanmiya) Coalition, led by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, warned on Sunday that the continued failure to elect a president is paralyzing state institutions, urging the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to resolve their dispute and present a candidate without delay.

At a press conference in parliament, bloc leader Bahaa Al-Araji indicated that the stalemate has disrupted government functions while citizens bear the consequences, noting that the federal government is operating in a caretaker capacity that restricts its authority.

Following the November 2025 elections, Al-Sudani’s cabinet moved into caretaker status under earlier court rulings limiting it to urgent and non-deferrable matters. Under these restrictions, the government cannot propose legislation, secure loans, appoint or dismiss senior officials, or restructure ministries.

MP Hanan Al-Fatlawi, meanwhile, expressed hope that Kurdish parties would reach an agreement soon, cautioning that the delay places the country in constitutional breach and calling for a vote within days. “The parliament presidency should convene a session and allow lawmakers to vote freely if no deal is reached.”

Speaking to Shafaq News, MP Miqdad Al-Khafaji of the Huqooq bloc said that negotiations are continuing, suggesting that a presidential vote could take place within the week.

Read more: Three months of paralysis: Divisions and pressure expose Iraq’s system

Under Iraq’s informal power-sharing arrangement, the presidency is allocated to a Kurd, the premiership to a Shiite, and the speakership to a Sunni Arab. Previous attempts to elect a president collapsed because divisions between the two main Kurdish parties, KDP and PUK, prevented the quorum required for a vote.

Amid the stalemate, Parliament Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi requested that the Federal Supreme Court interpret Article 72 (Second/B) of the Constitution, which stipulates that the president remains in office until a successor is elected within 30 days of parliament’s first session, a deadline that expired on January 28. Parliament has continued to meet but has not scheduled a presidential vote due to insufficient attendance, prompting the request for clarification.

Under the constitution, parliament must elect a president by a two-thirds quorum before the president can task the largest parliamentary bloc, currently the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), with forming a government.

Political tensions have intensified after US President Donald Trump warned that Washington could halt dealings with Iraq if the CF’s nominee, State of Law Coalition leader Nouri Al-Maliki, were to become prime minister. A source within the Framework told Shafaq News that Al-Sudani received a written proposal to extend the caretaker government’s mandate for one year with reduced powers as a possible way to ease the crisis. However, Al-Khafaji rejected the proposal, confirming that the Huqooq movement opposes any extension and has not been formally notified of such a plan.

Read more: Iraq slips into constitutional vacuum as presidential deadlock drags on