New Iraqi parliament holds first session, elects speaker

Haybat al-Halbousi has been elected as the new government’s speaker in Iraq, a significant step after months of political unrest.

According to the Taqaddum (Progress) Party, al-Halbousi received 208 votes, a clear victory over two rival candidates who received 66 and nine votes, respectively, according to the media in Iraq on Monday, citing parliament’s media office.

Sunni heartlands in the west and north of the country are a major source of support for Al-Halbousi’s party.

Iraqis have been eagerly awaited the first session of the country’s parliament, known as the Council of Representatives of Iraq, as they seek certainty over its leadership after the November 11 vote, which created a tense environment for the formation of the new government.

In its first session, parliament elects a consensus Sunni candidate along with two deputies under Iraq’s customary muhasasa system, which has been in place since the first government under the post-2003 constitution.

A Kurdish candidate will be chosen as the winner, according to Muhasasa. The president then chooses the Shia Coordination Framework (SCF) candidate for prime minister.

a complicated image

The Federal Supreme Court (FSC) ratified the results more quickly than usual before the election, prompting Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zaidan to urge lawmakers to adhere to the maximum 90-day constitutional deadline for government formation.

Few people, however, anticipate a quick conclusion. There are questions about who the SCF will choose as the ideal candidate for prime minister, which process typically lasts months (more than 300 days in 2021).

Former prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ran an independent electoral list that won about 46 out of 329 seats for his Reconstruction and Development Coalition (RDC), despite having been nominated by the SCF four years prior.

However, he was turned back to the SCF and its leadership, many of whom are external power brokers and do not hold any parliamentary seats.

As the SCF considers how to respond to the growing parliamentary presence of lawmakers affiliated with Shia parties with pro-Iran and pro-West armed wings, it is now up to question whether it supports al-Sudani or an alternative candidate for prime minister.

80 to 90 of the 180 SCF members are members of armed organizations close to Iran, the majority of whom are subject to US sanctions. These organizations only had 17 seats in the Senate in 2021.