Shiite disagreements delay speaker election until after Eid al-Adha: Sunni lawmakers

Shafaq News/ Iraq's parliament has delayed the election of a new speaker until after the Eid al-Adha holiday in late June, a Sunni lawmaker revealed on Sunday. 

The parliament has been unable to elect a new speaker since Mohammed al-Halboosi was removed by a court order last year.

In the most recent vote, Salem al-Issawi of the Sovereignty Alliance led by Khamis al-Khanjar received 158 votes, while Mahmoud al-Mashhadani of the Takaddom Alliance garnered 137 votes. None of the candidates secured the required 165 votes out of 329 to win.

Nehal al-Shammari, a member of al-Azm parliamentary bloc, told Shafaq News Agency that the election has been postponed due to disagreements between Shiite blocs, not the Sunni. She indicated that the Coordination Framework forces are divided over the candidates, with some preferring to keep Muhsin al-Mandlawi as Speaker until the end of the current session.

She added that while there is difficulty in the Sunni political forces agreeing on a single candidate, the main issue lies within the Shiite blocs. "The lack of this agreement means the continuation of al-Mandlawi, and this is what some parties in the Coordination Framework actually want."

"The obstruction is due to a Shiite dispute over the speakership, not a Sunni one," she said.