KDP nominee for Iraqi presidency vows to build ‘modern institutional state’ if elected
Mr. Ahmed was announced as the alliance’s nominee for the largely ceremonial post of president, with Mohammad Jaafar Al-Sadr nominated for Iraq’s prime minister.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Reber Ahmed, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) nominee for the President of Iraq, on Wednesday vowed that he would work towards building a “modern” and institutionalized country if elected by parliament.
The tripartite alliance of KDP, the Sunni Siyada (Sovereignty) Coalition, and the Sadrist Movement announced their “Salvage the Nation” coalition during a press conference in Baghdad. In the press conference, they also declared their official nominees for the Iraqi presidency and the position of prime minister.
Mr. Ahmed was announced as the alliance’s nominee for the largely ceremonial post of president, with Mohammad Jaafar Al-Sadr nominated for Iraq’s prime minister.
“I pledge to work on building a modern institutional state that meets the needs of the citizens,” Ahmed tweeted, saying he felt honored by the newly formed coalition’s nomination.
“Let us work together to restore the state that all the citizens aspire to,” the nominee for prime minister tweeted.
The Iraqi parliament is set to hold a session on the upcoming Saturday to elect the president, who will later appoint the country’s prime minister from the largest parliamentary bloc.
Ahmed is currently the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Interior. Mr. Al Sadr is Iraq’s ambassador to the United Kingdom at the moment.
For the parliamentary session to convene, an attendance of 220 representatives is required. To make the quorum, Moqtada Al-Sadr – the biggest winner of the elections – has called on the independent (ie. non-party affiliated) members of parliament to participate in the session.
Six months after the elections, Iraq has still only elected its speaker of parliament.