New Iraqi parliament holds first session, elects speaker

Haybat al-Halbousi, from the Taqaddum (Progress) Party, has been elected arsenic talker of the caller parliament.

Iraq’s ‍newly ‍elected parliament has chosen Haybat al-Halbousi arsenic its speaker, a important measurement successful the enactment of the caller authorities aft months of governmental turmoil.

Iraqi media reported connected Monday, citing parliament’s media office, that al-Halbousi, from the Taqaddum (Progress) Party, had received 208 votes, successful a wide triumph implicit 2 rival contenders with 66 and 9 votes, respectively.

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Al-Halbousi’s enactment draws its enactment mostly from Sunni heartlands successful the westbound and northbound of the country.

Iraqis person been eagerly awaiting the archetypal sitting of parliament, called the Council of Representatives of Iraq, arsenic they look for certainty implicit the enactment of the state pursuing the November 11 vote, which left a analyzable outlook for the enactment of the caller government.

Under Iraq’s customary muhasasa system, successful spot since the archetypal authorities nether the post-2003 constitution, parliament is to elite a talker – a statement Sunni campaigner – on with 2 deputies during its archetypal session.

Following that is the ballot for the presidency, a Kurdish candidate, according to muhasasa. The president past nominates the campaigner of the largest Shia bloc – the Shia Coordination Framework (SCF) – to beryllium named premier minister.

Complicated picture

Before the election, Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zaidan urged lawmakers to instrumentality to the law timeline for authorities enactment – a maximum of 90 days – and the Federal Supreme Court (FSC) ratified the results faster than usual.

But fewer are expecting a swift result. The process typically takes months – successful 2021, it took much than 300 days – and determination are questions implicit who the SCF volition take arsenic the close campaigner for premier minister.

Incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had been nominated by the SCF 4 years ago, but had tried to interruption escaped from the alliance, moving an autarkic electoral database that won large with astir 46 retired of 329 seats for his Reconstruction and Development Coalition (RDC).

But an FSC determination past period sent him backmost to the SCF and its leadership, galore of whom bash not clasp parliamentary seats but run arsenic outer powerfulness brokers.

The SCF present faces the question of whether it backs al-Sudani oregon an alternate campaigner arsenic premier minister, portion it grapples with however to respond to the increasing parliamentary beingness of lawmakers linked to Shia parties with pro-Iran, anti-West equipped wings.

Of the SCF’s 180-odd lawmakers, 80 to 90 beryllium to groups and equipped factions adjacent to Iran – astir of them nether United States sanctions. In 2021, specified groups held lone 17 seats.

Their increasing beingness successful parliament perchance presents a occupation not lone for Iraq’s relations with overseas powers, but for Iraqi Shias who resent Tehran’s almighty power successful the country.