Iraq
Sudani (left) and Maliki (right) meeting in Baghdad on February 12, 2026. Photo: Sudani's office
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani met on Wednesday with Nouri al-Maliki, the Shiite coalition’s candidate in parliament for the next premier, to discuss efforts to expedite the election of a new president for the country.
Maliki, the head of the State of Law Coalition, was recently nominated by the Shiite parties as their candidate for the position of prime minister.
“The meeting also addressed the positions of the political blocs and the efforts exerted to reach a political agreement that would finalize the selection of the President of the Republic in the Council of Representatives and proceed with the remaining entitlements, in addition to the government’s continued efforts to meet service and development requirements and strengthen the national economy,” read a statement from Sudani’s office.
Nineteen candidates - both Kurdish and Arab - have been approved to run for the mostly-ceremonial position of president. However, the presidency is widely expected to go to either the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), or a consensus candidate backed by both parties. Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, the post has largely been held by the PUK.
The Iraqi parliament has indefinitely postponed a scheduled session to elect a new president. A session planned for Sunday was delayed, according to state media, with no new date announced.
Iraq held parliamentary elections in early November. Under Iraq’s informal power-sharing system, the speakership is allocated to Sunni Arabs, the premiership to Shiite parties, and the presidency to the Kurds.
Maliki, the head of the State of Law Coalition, was recently nominated by the Shiite parties as their candidate for the position of prime minister.
“The meeting also addressed the positions of the political blocs and the efforts exerted to reach a political agreement that would finalize the selection of the President of the Republic in the Council of Representatives and proceed with the remaining entitlements, in addition to the government’s continued efforts to meet service and development requirements and strengthen the national economy,” read a statement from Sudani’s office.
Nineteen candidates - both Kurdish and Arab - have been approved to run for the mostly-ceremonial position of president. However, the presidency is widely expected to go to either the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), or a consensus candidate backed by both parties. Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, the post has largely been held by the PUK.
The Iraqi parliament has indefinitely postponed a scheduled session to elect a new president. A session planned for Sunday was delayed, according to state media, with no new date announced.
Iraq held parliamentary elections in early November. Under Iraq’s informal power-sharing system, the speakership is allocated to Sunni Arabs, the premiership to Shiite parties, and the presidency to the Kurds.
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