Iraq
Razzaq al-Obaidi, senior Takaddum Front member, pictured during an interview with Rudaw on November 16, 2025. Photo: Screengrab/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A senior member of Iraq’s main Sunni Arab party, the Takaddum Front, sparked controversy on Sunday by suggesting that the presidency - traditionally reserved for Kurds - should not be limited to the country’s second-largest ethnic group, challenging Iraq’s long-standing power-sharing arrangement.
“What is the harm in Takaddum taking the presidency?” Razzaq al-Obaidi told Rudaw, noting that “there is no constitutional provision that assigns specific leadership posts to any component or sect.”
Following the 2003 US-led invasion, Iraq’s informal ethno-sectarian system has allocated the prime ministership to Shiites, the speakership to Sunni Arabs, and the presidency to Kurds.
The Iraqi presidency is currently held by Abdul Latif Rashid of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), while Sunni Arab politician Mahmoud al-Mashhadani serves as parliament speaker. The federal government is led by Shiite Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani.
In Iraq’s latest legislative elections, Takaddum Front won the largest share of Sunni votes, securing more than 945,000 ballots.
Obaidi said, “Political parties in Iraq must be capable of managing the democratic political process,” arguing that “in a democracy, there should be a transfer of power; the presidency should not be exclusive to Kurdish parties, and the speakership should not be exclusive to the Sunni component.”
Interestingly, Takaddum Front is led by prominent Sunni politician and former parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi (2018-2023).
The current speaker, Mashhadani, a senior figure from the Sunni Azm Front, was elected speaker in October 2024 following a ruling by the Federal Supreme Court that revoked Halbousi’s parliamentary membership in November 2023 over his alleged involvement in forging another lawmaker’s resignation.
Obaidi’s remarks have raised eyebrows, especially as they come amid speculation that his party leader, Halbousi, may be seeking another term as parliament speaker or aiming to install a speaker loyal to his bloc.
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