Politics

'Political agreement needed outside parliament before Iraqi president can be elected': Deputy Speaker

"The House of Representatives will not be an arena for deepening differences but instead seeks to unify the visions of the political parties, and works to perform its legislative and oversight tasks."

Dler S. Mohammed 2022/07/19 15:07

Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Shakhawan Abdullah (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

Iraq Shakhawan Abdullah KDP Iraqi Parliament Iraqi Governemnt Foremation 2022 Iraqs President

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - No date will be set for electing Iraq's next president until a political agreement on the matter is reached outside parliament, Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Shakhawan Abdullah, stated on Tuesday.

"The blockage and the differences in positions complicated the political scene," read Abdullah's statement. "The House of Representatives distances itself from political conflicts and disagreements and is keen to expedite the formation of the government."

Abdullah called on the political parties to continue the dialogue and agree on nominating candidates for prime minister and the president so parliament can proceed with the legal procedures in accordance with the constitution and set a date for electing the president.

"Unfortunately, some are trying to plunge the legislative institution into crisis and put the ball in their court," said Shakhawan. "The House of Representatives will not be an arena for deepening differences but instead seeks to unify the visions of the political parties, and works to perform its legislative and oversight tasks."

On Monday, the Iraqi parliament's presidency held a meeting with the heads and representatives of the political parties to discuss setting a date for electing the president. However, the discussion was not fruitful, and no decision was made.

No date has yet been scheduled for the Iraqi parliament to elect the country's next president, said the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) bloc of parliament, Viyan Sabri, on Sunday.

"Parliament hasn't yet scheduled a date for holding a session to elect Iraq's president," Sabri told Kurdistan 24. "Electing the new president requires further discussion among the political parties."

Sabri revealed that "talks are currently ongoing among the political parties for scheduling a date for holding a parliament session to elect the president."