Majority of Iraqi lawmakers back Monday vote to elect president

Shafaq News- Baghdad

A total of 220 out of 329 members of Iraq’s parliament submitted a signed request on Friday, urging the parliamentary leadership to schedule a session next Monday to elect the country’s president.

In a letter addressed to the parliament’s Speakership, the lawmakers, representing more than two-thirds of the legislature, said their request is based on constitutional provisions and “reflects the need to meet current political requirements.’

The signatories stressed that the continued vacancy in the presidency has disrupted Iraq’s constitutional timeline and negatively affected the functioning of state institutions. They called for swift action to complete the electoral process, describing it as essential to maintaining political stability and restoring public confidence in state institutions and elected representatives.

The lawmakers also emphasized the need to include the presidential election as a formal item on the agenda of the proposed session and to take all necessary measures to ensure it is held on time.

Under Iraq’s political system, parliament must elect a president before the largest parliamentary bloc can nominate a prime minister to form a government, making the vote a critical step in the broader government formation process.

Separately, the Coordination Framework (CF), a coalition of mainly Shiite political parties that form the core of Iraq’s ruling bloc, has agreed to delay selecting its candidate for prime minister until after the ongoing regional conflict involving the United States and Israel against Iran concludes, according to a political source cited earlier by Shafaq News.

The CF had formally nominated former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki on January 24, a move that opened negotiations on forming a new government. However, the process has stalled due to continued disagreements over the presidency, which must be resolved before appointing a prime minister-designate.