Baghdad, Iraq – The Iraqi parliament has just entered a decisive political phase with the start of the secret ballot to choose a new speaker for its sixth session, after the competition was officially narrowed down to three candidates following the withdrawal of Muthanna al-Samarrai, head of the “Determination” coalition.
The view from inside the dome
The oldest member of parliament, MP Amer Al-Fayez, announced the final list of candidates for the position of Speaker of the country’s highest legislative authority, and they are:
Hebat Al-Halbousi: The candidate of the “Progress” party, who enters the session supported by a significant Sunni bloc and prior understandings.
Salem Al-Issawi: The competitor who is accepted by multiple political parties seeking balance.
Amer Abdul Jabbar: The independent MP who seeks to break the monopoly of party quotas on the position.
dramatic withdrawal
The competition narrowed down after a surprise speech by MP Muthanna al-Samarrai, in which he officially announced his withdrawal in response to consultations with the “Coordination Framework” and Sunni forces, with the aim of facilitating the selection process and preventing the first session from becoming deadlocked.
Vote counting
The voting process is currently underway, with 292 members of parliament present. A candidate needs 165 votes (an absolute majority) to secure the position in the first round. If no candidate achieves this number, a second round will be held between the two candidates with the highest number of votes.
Who will take the presidency and lead the sixth session? We will provide you with the results as soon as the votes are counted.
