ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Sunni blocs in Iraq have agreed to nominate Haybat al-Halbousi as their candidate for parliament speaker ahead of the first session of the legislature’s sixth term on Monday, with the exception of the Azm Alliance, which continues to back its leader, Muthanna al-Samarrai.
Khamis al-Khanjar, head of the Sovereignty Alliance, said during a press conference in Baghdad that Haybat al-Halbousi would be the “sole representative” of the Sunni bloc for the next parliament speaker.
Azm has rejected Halbousi’s nomination and insists on Samarrai as its candidate, who was not present during the presser.
The decision followed a meeting on Sunday aimed at unifying Sunni blocs behind a single nominee or proceeding with rival bids split between the Taqaddum Party and the Azm Alliance.
Mudhafar al-Karkhi, a member of Azm, told Rudaw after the meeting had begun that former parliament speaker and head of Taqaddum Party, Mohammed al-Halbousi, had withdrawn from the race for parliament speaker.
However, Ali Mahmoud, a Taqaddum Party member, told Rudaw before the meeting that “our only candidate is Mohammed al-Halbousi, and no other names are being considered.”
The National Political Council includes the Taqaddum Front, the Sovereignty Alliance, headed by Khanjar; the National Hasm Alliance, led by caretaker Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbasi; the National Masses Party, headed by former Salahaddin governor Ahmed al-Jabouri; and the Azm Alliance.
Iraq’s parliamentary elections were held on November 11, with final results announced in mid-November and ratified by the Federal Supreme Court in mid-December.
Monday’s session, which will be temporarily chaired by the oldest lawmaker, will include the swearing-in of the 329 newly elected lawmakers and a vote for speaker, a post reserved for Sunni Arabs under Iraq’s informal power-sharing system established after the 2003 US-led invasion.
Under the arrangement, the premiership is allocated to Shiites and the presidency to Kurds, though some Sunni lawmakers have expressed interest in seeking the presidency in the next cabinet.
In November, leaders of the Sunnis’ four main alliances announced the formation of the National Political Council, aimed at unifying Sunni positions during negotiations over the next government.
Khamis al-Khanjar, head of the Sovereignty Alliance, said during a press conference in Baghdad that Haybat al-Halbousi would be the “sole representative” of the Sunni bloc for the next parliament speaker.
Azm has rejected Halbousi’s nomination and insists on Samarrai as its candidate, who was not present during the presser.
The decision followed a meeting on Sunday aimed at unifying Sunni blocs behind a single nominee or proceeding with rival bids split between the Taqaddum Party and the Azm Alliance.
Mudhafar al-Karkhi, a member of Azm, told Rudaw after the meeting had begun that former parliament speaker and head of Taqaddum Party, Mohammed al-Halbousi, had withdrawn from the race for parliament speaker.
However, Ali Mahmoud, a Taqaddum Party member, told Rudaw before the meeting that “our only candidate is Mohammed al-Halbousi, and no other names are being considered.”
The National Political Council includes the Taqaddum Front, the Sovereignty Alliance, headed by Khanjar; the National Hasm Alliance, led by caretaker Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbasi; the National Masses Party, headed by former Salahaddin governor Ahmed al-Jabouri; and the Azm Alliance.
Iraq’s parliamentary elections were held on November 11, with final results announced in mid-November and ratified by the Federal Supreme Court in mid-December.
Monday’s session, which will be temporarily chaired by the oldest lawmaker, will include the swearing-in of the 329 newly elected lawmakers and a vote for speaker, a post reserved for Sunni Arabs under Iraq’s informal power-sharing system established after the 2003 US-led invasion.
Under the arrangement, the premiership is allocated to Shiites and the presidency to Kurds, though some Sunni lawmakers have expressed interest in seeking the presidency in the next cabinet.
In November, leaders of the Sunnis’ four main alliances announced the formation of the National Political Council, aimed at unifying Sunni positions during negotiations over the next government.
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