Shafaq News– Baghdad

Fuad Hussein, the nominee of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) for Iraq’s presidency, said on Sunday that 19 candidates are competing for the post under the parliament’s dome.

Speaking to several media outlets, Hussein, who currently serves as foreign minister in the caretaker government, stressed that the race is not limited to a single contender, noting that other political parties have also nominated candidates.

Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi, during a session attended by 226 lawmakers, announced that the parliament will convene on January 27 to elect the new president.

Under Iraq’s post-2003 political system, the presidency traditionally goes to a Kurd, the premiership to a Shiite, and the speakership to a Sunni Arab. Rivalry between the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has often delayed voting sessions by preventing the two-thirds quorum required in the first round. KDP candidate, Nozad Hadi, withdrew from Iraq’s presidential race on Saturday, with Nizar Amedi remaining the sole nominee of the PUK.

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Parliament is required to elect a president within 30 days of its first session, with a two-thirds majority needed in the first round or a simple majority in a second round if no candidate prevails. The process moved forward after lawmakers elected Al-Halbousi as speaker on December 29, 2025.