clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Iraq Parliament fails again to elect president

March 30, 2022 at 4:09 pm

A parliament session in Baghdad, Iraq on 9 January 2022 [Iraqi Parliament Press Office/Anadolu Agency]

The Iraqi Parliament, on Wednesday, failed to elect the country’s new president for the second time in less than a week, Anadolu News Agency reports.

A scheduled voting session failed to be held due to lack of quorum, after dozens of lawmakers boycotted the meeting.

Only 200 members of the 329-seat parliament attended Wednesday’s session, according to an Anadolu Agency reporter.

At least 220 lawmakers are required to attend the session to elect the country’s president.

On Saturday, the Parliament failed to elect the president due to lack of quorum amid a boycott of lawmakers.

READ: Iraq may sue Israel over 1981 nuclear facility attack

Last week, the party of Shia cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, announced an agreement with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance on naming the KDP’s nominee, Reber Ahmed, for presidency and Mohammad Jaafar Al-Sadr of Al-Sadr party for the position of Iraq’s prime minister.

Under a political norm since 2006, a Kurd is elected for Iraq’s presidency, while a Sunni heads the parliament, and a Shia takes the prime minister position.