ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) candidate Nizar Amedi was elected Iraq’s president in a Saturday session boycotted by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
Iraqi parliament speaker Haibat al-Halbousi announced Amedi as president after he secured 227 votes in the second round.
PUK’s Nizar Amedi and Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) candidate Muthanna Ameen advanced to a second round after none of the candidates secured a two-thirds majority in the first round. Ameen garnered 15.
PUK’s Nizar Amedi and Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) candidate Muthanna Ameen advanced to a second round after none of the candidates secured a two-thirds majority in the first round.
In the first round, Amedi received 208 votes, followed by Ameen with 17 votes and the KDP’s Fuad Hussein with 16. In the second round, a simple majority, 50 percent plus one, was required to win the presidency.
Under Iraq’s informal power-sharing system, the presidency is allocated to the Kurds, the parliamentary speakership to Sunni Arabs, and the premiership to Shiite parties.
Iraq held legislative elections in early November. In late December, parliament elected its speaker and two deputies. Under Iraq’s constitution, lawmakers must elect a president within 30 days of forming parliamentary leadership, in a session requiring a two-thirds quorum - 220 out of 329 members - to convene.
Disagreements between the KDP and the PUK over the presidency had stalled government formation. Both parties nominated candidates, and their failure to agree on a single nominee resulted in a political deadlock.
The KDP and former premier Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition announced Friday they would not attend the session, citing a lack of political consensus. The KDP holds 26 seats in parliament, while the State of Law coalition has 29.
Maliki had been positioned as a leading candidate for the premiership after being nominated by the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework. However, US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off support for Iraq if he is appointed.
After a president is elected - either by a two-thirds majority in the first round or a simple majority in a runoff - the president must, within 15 days of being sworn in, task the prime minister nominee from the largest parliamentary bloc with forming a government.
Ahead of the session, Harem Kamal Agha, head of the PUK bloc in the Iraqi parliament, expressed confidence that the session would proceed as planned, while KDP lawmaker Sherwan Dubardani predicted it would fail due to insufficient attendance.
Updated at 5.45 pm.
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