Iraq’s Parliamentary Vote for President Postponed Indefinitely

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The Iraqi Parliament’s session to elect the country’s next president, originally scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed to an undetermined date, leaving the formation of a new federal government in uncertainty.

Deputy Speaker Farhad Atroushi confirmed the suspension of the parliamentary session on Tuesday, citing the failure to meet the legally required quorum for the vote.

According to Atroushi, the delay provides additional time for political dialogue and coordination among the country’s Kurdish parties, which traditionally hold the presidency under Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing framework.

Shvan Jabari, Kurdistan24’s correspondent in Baghdad, reported that the next session could potentially be held on Sunday, though an official date will be set by the Parliament’s leadership once agreements among Kurdish MPs are reached.

MP Rebwar Hadi, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), emphasized the strategic importance of the presidency, saying it is “not merely ceremonial,” and noted that the office can influence constitutional prerogatives, including budgetary allocations and decisions affecting the Kurdistan Region.

Hadi stressed the need for Kurdish parties to unite behind a single candidate, adding, “Our candidate for this post is Fuad Hussein, a skilled diplomat with strong ties across Iraqi political circles.”

Hadi also underlined that the presidency is a Kurdish post and should reflect the consensus of Kurdish MPs, either through internal party coordination or broader agreement among all Kurdish parliamentary representatives. He warned that without unity, the selection process could face further delays.

Other MPs, including Sherwan Dubardani and Ashwaq Jaf, highlighted the necessity of postponing the vote to allow more time for negotiation and dialogue among the Kurdish political blocs. “The presidency is a Kurdish post, not the property of any single political faction,” Dubardani noted.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Parliament’s leadership had not announced a new date for the session. The legal window for electing the president is set to expire on Wednesday at noon, meaning further postponements could extend political uncertainty and delay the broader process of forming Iraq’s next federal government.

Kurdish MPs emphasized that any rescheduled session will require agreement among all major parties, including the KDP and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), to ensure a legitimate and unified vote.
The elected president is constitutionally responsible for tasking the candidate of the largest parliamentary bloc with forming a government.

The postponement comes amid ongoing political deliberations on the form of the next Iraqi government, and its form as well as the lack of consensus among Kurdish parties, which traditionally hold the presidency.

Analysts say the delay could further extend the period of political stasis in Baghdad, affecting government formation and the broader legislative agenda.

Procedurally, the election requires the vote of two-thirds of parliament’s 329 members to select a president. If no candidate secures the necessary votes in the first round, a second round is held between the two leading contenders, with the candidate receiving a simple majority declared the winner.

The incumbent president, Latif Rashid, was standing for a second term alongside candidates Fuad Hussein (KDP), Nizar Mohammed Said Mohammed (PUK), and Muthanna Amin Nadir (KIU), among others.

This article was updated on Jan. 27 at 1:52 pm.