Iraqi parliament in deadlock over new speaker ahead of second vote: source

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi parliament is in deadlock over the election of a new speaker after a first vote that failed to come up with a agreeable replacement of ousted Mohammad al-Halboosi.

"The first round of voting on Saturday ended with no candidate winning a majority," a source said.

The leading candidate, Shaalan al-Kareem, won 152 votes, while Salem al-Issawi won 97 votes. The other three candidates received a combined total of 63 votes.

"A second round of voting was scheduled for Saturday evening, but it was postponed after failing to reach an agreement between contesting parties," said the source.

The source told the Shafaq News Agency that meetings are ongoing between the political blocs to try to reach a consensus on a single candidate.

"Salem al-Issawi might withdraw from the race, but it is still a possibility, " the source said.