Shafaq News– Baghdad

Iraq’s Coordination Framework (CF), a predominantly Shiite alliance that recently emerged as the largest parliamentary bloc, is encouraging Kurdish parties to reach an understanding over the selection of the country’s next president, a senior political figure told Shafaq News on Saturday.

Majid Shankali, a former Iraqi MP and a current member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), noted that both the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the Region’s two main political parties, have already nominated their candidates. He pointed out that a joint dialogue is set to begin on Sunday, aimed at reviewing the proposed names and narrowing them down to a single nominee.

Framing the presidency as a political entitlement of the Kurdish component, rooted in an established convention in place since 2005, he stressed that the post serves all Iraqis rather than any individual party.

‘’Aspirants operating outside the Kurdish political framework are largely seeking media exposure rather than a realistic route to office,’’ he added.

Earlier this week, KDP leader Masoud Barzani advanced a proposal calling for the presidency to be filled by a candidate selected collectively by Kurdish parties and political blocs, instead of remaining confined to competition between the two dominant parties in the Kurdistan Region.

Since 2005, the Iraqi presidency has been held by figures from the PUK, beginning with Jalal Talabani, followed by Fuad Masum, Barham Salih, and the current president, Abdu Latif Rashid.

Under existing procedures, once Iraq’s parliament elects a speaker, the nomination process for the presidency begins. Parliament must then choose a president within a maximum of 30 days from the first parliamentary session.

A candidate must secure a two-thirds majority in the first round of voting, or a simple majority in a second round if no outcome is reached initially. If one of the components—most commonly Sunni or Shiite lawmakers—declines to attend the voting session or votes against all Kurdish nominees, parliament is unable to elect a president.

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