Shafaq News/ The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) bloc cast doubt on the likelihood of electing a new Iraqi Parliament Speaker during a special session scheduled for Thursday, citing ongoing disagreements within Sunni factions.

“There’s an intention to hold a special session tomorrow for electing the Speaker, and we’ve been notified not to travel to attend,” KDP lawmaker. Jayai Taimur Abdul Qadir told Shafaq News on Wednesday. “However, I don’t believe the session will happen due to the lack of consensus within the Sunni blocs. It’s unlikely that a single candidate has unanimous support.”

The main dispute among Sunni parties is that they have failed to reach a consensus. The Taqaddum bloc, led by former Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi, insists on retaining the position as its entitlement, while Al-Siyada bloc, led by Khamis Al-Khanjar and other Sunni groups argue that the seat should represent the entire Sunni community, not just a single party or bloc.

On October 23, six Sunni parties, led by Taqaddum Party, issued a joint statement proposing two pathways to resolve the 11-month deadlock in electing a speaker. The parties — Taqaddum, al-Jamaheer al-Wataniya, al-Hasm, the Iraqi National Project, al-Sadara, and al-Mubadara — outlined options for resolving the impasse.

The first option calls on competing factions to withdraw their nominees and back Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who has garnered support from a majority of Sunni and parliamentary blocs. The alternative option proposes proceeding with legal procedures in parliament to nominate a new candidate with broad backing from the Sunni majority, preserving their right to fill the position.

In contrast, Al-Siyala bloc urged political partners to “respect the choice of the Sunni majority” and avoid holding any parliamentary sessions to elect the Speaker without “authorization” from the Sunni representatives convening in Baghdad.