Shafaq News/ The head of al-Takaddom bloc, Mohammad al-Halboosi, managed to retain the chair of Iraq's parliament speaker for a second mandate. His win, partially boosted by the power of the constitutional deadline, ushers in for a second round of political merry-go-round to elect a President of the Republic before the next deadline 30 days later.

Al-Halboosi secured the votes of 200 members of the parliament, a long way ahead of his competitor, the parliament's elderly member, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who won only 14 votes.

Coalition of Opposites

Despite his political rivalry with Khamis al-Khanjar, the head of al-Azm bloc, before and during the elections, al-Halboosi was able to establish a rapport with him and form together an "unprecedented" Sunni alliance after the announcement of the final results in spite of the gap in the seat counts each bloc won.

With a new parliament speaker on board, the gears of the political process, whose foundations were laid in 2005, began to rotate. The parliament shall now elect a Kurdish President of the country, who will ultimately appoint a Shiite Prime Minister.

Al-Halboosi's election shall catalyze the heated interaction between the rival Shiite forces over the formation of the next election.

The regional arena

Al-Halboosi and al-Khanjar also made moves on the regional scene to inform the Sunni-supporting countries about the division of labor al-Takkadum and al-Azm blocs will pursue in the new government and finally persuade al-Khanjar of endorsing his endeavors for a second mandate.

Sunni Leadership

From al-Anbar Hawiyyatuna (al-Anbar is our identity) to al-Takkadum alliance, Mohammed Rekan al-Halboosi emerges as the most emblematic Sunni figure in Iraq. He has exhibited a nuanced understanding of the complexities of Baghdad's political structure and knew how to tune his ties with the main forces in the country.

Youngest Speaker of Parliament

Born in 1981, al-Halboosi has been a member of the parliament since 2014. He had served in the Human Rights Committee and Finance Committee. He was then chosen as the governor of al-Anbar before winning a seat in the 2018 elections and beating many competitors vying for the Parliament Speaker's chair.