Iraq presidential field widens days before vote
Shafaq News– Baghdad
Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court on Friday reinstated four previously disqualified presidential contenders, increasing the number of approved nominees to 19, parliament revealed.
In a statement, parliament said the court found the four candidates had been improperly excluded and ordered their names added to the final ballot.
Lawmakers must elect a president by January 28, 30 days after parliament’s first session and the election of Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi on Dec. 29. Under the constitution, the president then has 15 days to task the largest parliamentary bloc, which is the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), with forming a government.
Leading contenders include Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, backed by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP); Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) nominee Nizar Amedi; and incumbent President Abdul Latif Rashid. Under Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing system, the presidency is reserved for a Kurd, the speakership for a Sunni Arab, and the premiership for a Shiite Arab.
The KDP and PUK have yet to agree on a joint candidate, placing the CF in a decisive position. The alliance has not announced support for any Kurdish nominee and has yet to settle on a candidate for prime minister.
No Iraqi government formed since 2003 has met constitutional deadlines for completing the political transition.
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