Shafaq News / A parliamentary source reported, on Saturday, that the Presidency of the Iraqi Parliament and leaders of parliamentary blocs are discussing postponing the session to elect a new Speaker of Parliament following the failure to elect a replacement for Mohammed al-Halbousi.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that "discussions are currently underway between the Presidency of the Parliament and leaders of parliamentary blocs to explore the option of postponing the election session for the Speaker of Parliament until seeking a new interpretation from the Federal Court, after neither of the candidates obtained a majority plus one during the second round or moving to the option of a third round."

The source emphasized that "discussions are ongoing without reaching any final agreement."

Earlier today, the Iraqi Parliament failed to elect a new Speaker in the second round, which witnessed intense competition between MPs Salem al-Issawi and Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, with the former receiving 158 votes while the latter obtained 137 votes.

According to the media office of the Parliament, MP Amer Abdul Jabbar received three votes, while there were 13 invalid votes.

Following this, the Acting Speaker of Parliament, Mohsen al-Mandalawi, instructed members of the Council to "take a break," after which the decision will be made to proceed to a third round or adjourn the session until further notice.

Political circles within the Iraqi Parliament are cautiously awaiting the outcome of the session to elect a new Speaker, nearly half a year after the removal of former Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, amid intense competition between Mahmoud al-Mashhadani and Salem al-Issawi.

On November 14, 2023, the Federal Supreme Court, the highest judicial authority in Iraq, decided to end the membership of Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi. Then, the Iraqi Parliament officially terminated his membership on November 21, 2023.

On January 13, the Iraqi Parliament held an extraordinary session to choose the new Speaker. The first round of voting ended with the victory of the "Taqaddum" party's Shaalan al-Karim with 152 votes out of 314. MP Salem Al-Issawi followed him with 97 votes, MP Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani with 48 votes, MP Amer Abduljabbar with six votes, and MP Talal Al-Zobaie with one vote.

However, due to verbal altercations inside the council hall, the session was adjourned without completing the election process.