KDP Delegation in Baghdad to Nominate Deputy Speaker and Elect Parliamentary Faction Leader

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — A delegation from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) will arrive in Baghdad on Sunday to nominate a candidate for the position of Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament and to elect the new head of the party’s parliamentary faction.

According to a source from the KDP Politburo, who spoke to Kurdistan24, the visit aims to nominate the party’s candidate for the deputy speaker role and choose a candidate for the leadership of its parliamentary bloc.

The delegation’s schedule includes a meeting with members of the party’s parliamentary faction in Baghdad on Monday at 11 a.m., followed by consultations with other Iraqi political actors regarding the election of a new parliamentary speaker.

This process follows the general elections held on November 11, 2025, after which political blocs have been negotiating the formation of a new government.

The Iraqi Parliament’s communications office published the agenda for the first session of the sixth parliamentary term. According to the schedule, the session will convene at noon on Monday and will proceed in two main stages. The first stage will cover the legal swearing-in of new parliament members, and the second will include the elections for the speaker and the two deputy speakers.

So far, Sunni and Shiite blocs have not reached agreement on their respective candidates for the speaker and first deputy speaker positions, while the KDP has emphasized its right to nominate its candidate for the second deputy speaker post.

Previously, Iraqi President Latif Rashid issued Republican Decree No. 54, calling on the newly elected members of parliament to participate in the first session. The decree is based on Article 54 and Paragraph 4 of Article 73 of the Iraqi Constitution and was approved by the Federal Supreme Court after validating the final election results.

According to parliamentary tradition and political custom, the oldest member of parliament presides over the opening session until the new parliamentary leadership is elected. For this session, Amer Hussein Jasim Faiz, a 77-year-old parliamentarian from Basra Governorate, will chair the proceedings.

According to political practice established since 2005, the parliamentary speaker is assigned to a Sunni Arab, the first deputy speaker to a Shiite, and the second deputy speaker to a Kurd. Election to these leadership positions requires a simple majority vote (50% +1) of all parliament members.

As of now, there is no consensus among Shiite blocs on a candidate for the parliamentary first deputy speaker, nor have Sunni groups agreed on a nominee for the speaker position, leaving negotiations ongoing amid Iraq’s complex power-sharing dynamics.