Supreme Judicial Council deliberates Zebari's candidature

Shafaq News/ The Supreme Federal Court has held a deliberative meeting to contemplate the nomination of Hoshyar Zebari for the presidency of the republic position, Iraq's official news agency (INA) quoted a Judicial source on Sunday.

The vote for president, a post traditionally reserved for Iraq's Kurds in post-2003 Iraq per an extra-constitutional agreement, primarily pits the former Minister Zebari against incumbent President Barham Salih, who is eying a second term in office, endorsed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

Zebari's candidature has stirred controversy due to years-old corruption accusations against him in court that led to his 2016 impeachment and dismissal from the post of finance minister.

Even though the KDP candidate was never convicted in court, a group of MPs, including three PUK MPs, filed a lawsuit before the court to annul his candidacy amid forecasts he would unseat Salih.