Sunni bloc fails to agree on single candidate for Iraq’s parliament speaker

Shafaq News– Baghdad

Leaders of Iraq’s main Sunni political bloc failed on Sunday to reach a consensus on a single candidate for the post of Speaker of Parliament, opting instead to put forward two nominees, a senior figure in the National Political Council told Shafaq News.

The official said a meeting of the bloc’s leadership nominated two figures, Muthanna Al-Samarrai, the head of Al-Azm, and Haibat Al-Halbousi was put forward by Taqaddum, with both names set to be submitted to the new parliament for a vote.

He added that a follow-up meeting was scheduled later this evening to determine whether consensus could still be reached on a single nominee or whether both candidates would proceed to a parliamentary vote.

Under Iraq’s post-2003 political arrangement, the position of Speaker of Parliament is allocated to the Sunni Arab component, while the prime ministership is held by a Shiite Arab and the presidency by a Kurd, reflecting an informal power-sharing system adopted after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

The Speaker of Parliament, along with two deputies, is elected during the first session of the new legislature, which will be held on 29 December, a step that formally opens the constitutional process for forming a new government, including the eventual nomination of a prime minister.

Read more: Iraq’s Parliament Speakership vote: Stress test ahead of Dec. 29