Abadi urges Iraqi President to order convening of first parliament session

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has urged the President of Iraq to order the first session of the Council of Representatives in preparation for the formation of a new government.

In a statement on Sunday following the Federal Supreme Court of Iraq’s ratification of elections results, Abadi urged Iraqi President Fuad Masum to adjure the Parliament to hold its first session.

On Sunday, the Supreme Court announced it had ratified the results of the country’s May 12 parliamentary elections, three days after the Iraqi High Electoral Commission (IHEC) delivered the votes.

“After careful review and deliberation of the names and the objections directed toward some of them, the Federal Supreme Court issued [by consensus] its decision this afternoon and approved the names [of the elected members] presented,” a court statement read.

In his statement, the Iraqi Prime Minister called on the political parties to accelerate finalizing the next government’s program.

“Ratification of the results enters [the country] into constitutional deadlines that must be respected,” he noted.

The new government has to consider the demands of the people across Iraq and provide means to rebound the country’s economy, provide better services, and expand investment projects, Abadi added.

“I call on the Iraqi President to urge the Council of Ministers to hold a session within the constitutional timeline to begin procedures of electing a Parliament Speaker, new President, and assigning the largest parliamentary bloc to form the next government,” he said in the statement.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany