Iraqi Parliament votes to reopen door for presidential candidates

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Parliament voted during a session on Saturday to reopen the door for presidential candidates.

The decision came after the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court (FSC) ruled that it is unconstitutional for the presidency of parliament to reopen the door for candidates. However, the FSC pointed out that the door can be reopened through a majority vote by members of parliament.
Parliament set Saturday, Mar. 5, to vote on the issue.

According to Shivan Jabbari, Kurdistan 24's correspondent in Baghdad, more than 203 out of 265 deputies present in the 329-seat parliament voted to reopen the door for candidacies while 62 deputies abstained.

Parliament had previously scheduled Feb. 7 as the date for electing the country's president. However, a majority of the parliament factions boycotted that session.
Major political forces previously said that their decision to boycott aims to make room for more consultations and heal the rift the country invariably experiences after every parliamentary election.

Last week, the parliament announced a list of candidates for the presidency, including the Kurdistan Democratic Party's candidate Rebar Ahmed.