Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq’s newly elected Council of Representatives will open its first session of the sixth parliamentary term with a focus on swearing in new lawmakers and electing the speaker and two deputies.

According to an official statement, the agenda of the session, which will be held on December 29 at 12:00 pm, is limited to two items: administering the constitutional oath to newly elected members and electing the speaker of parliament, along with the first and second deputies. These steps will formally launch the next phase of government formation.

In the last weeks, Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish political forces that won seats in the elections have intensified talks aimed at finalizing agreements over the three top state posts: the speaker of parliament, the president of the republic, and the prime minister.

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003 following the US-led invasion, Iraq’s main political parties have followed a power-sharing system that divides the three presidencies—the premiership for Shia, the presidency for Kurds, and the speakership for Sunnis.

On Saturday, Faiq Zaidan, head of the Supreme Judicial Council, said the first session of the new parliament “must conclude with the election of the speaker and the two deputies,” stressing that the session cannot be postponed or extended under the constitution or Iraqi law.

Read more: Iraq’s Parliament Speakership vote: Stress test ahead of Dec. 29