Iraqi parliament schedules presidential vote as lawmakers urge Kurdish parties to reach agreement

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi Parliament has released the agenda for its upcoming session, confirming that lawmakers will convene on Sunday to elect the country’s next president amid continued political uncertainty over the Kurdish nominee for the position.

According to the agenda published by the Parliament’s media office, the session is scheduled to begin on Sunday, at 11 am (local time). The agenda includes the constitutional swearing-in of several members of parliament, followed by the election of the President of Iraq.

In a document addressed to the Parliament’s presidency, 52 lawmakers have submitted a formal request calling on the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to resolve their differences and agree on a presidential candidate before the session.

On Monday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein confirmed the KDP is prepared to hand over its federal posts to the PUK in exchange for the presidency if they agree on a candidate.

“Whatever positions we have… would be given to them,” he said, adding that talks are ongoing.

The Iraqi parliament was scheduled to convene on Tuesday to elect the country’s fifth Kurdish president. However, the session was postponed as Kurdish political forces remain divided over a unified nominee for the presidency, a position that has traditionally been held by a Kurd since 2003.

Eighteen candidates, both Kurdish and Arab, are contesting the position, but the likely winner is expected to come from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), or a unified nominee supported by both parties.

Member of parliament Yousef al-Kalabi told Rudaw on Friday that Tuesday's postponement "was at the request of the KDP and PUK," calling on the two parties "to settle this issue before Sunday, out of respect for Iraq and its people, and to overcome the challenges facing the country and the region."

He warned that failure to reach a consensus could complicate the voting process, adding, "We hope these two parties reach an agreement; otherwise, each will participate with its own candidate, and in that case, the voting process will face certain challenges."

Iraq held early legislative elections on November 9, followed by general voting on November 11. The final results were announced in mid-November and ratified by the country’s highest judicial authority, the Federal Supreme Court, in mid-December.

Since 2003, an informal power-sharing system has allocated the parliament’s speakership to Sunni Arabs, the premiership to Shiite parties, and the presidency to the Kurds.

Under Iraq’s constitution, the president must be elected within 30 days of the first parliamentary session. Once sworn in, the president has up to 15 days to task the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc with forming a government.

Following the election results, the Shiite Coordination Framework announced it had formed the largest bloc in parliament, positioning itself to nominate the next prime minister. The alliance has since named former prime minister and State of Law coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki as its candidate for the premiership.

The Coordination Framework has also held separate meetings with delegations from both the KDP and PUK, urging them to reach “an agreement that allows the president to be elected within the constitutionally specified date” and stressing “the need to respect constitutional timelines and finalize national entitlements.”

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