Former Speaker calls for 45-day emergency government in Iraq
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Former Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani on Saturday called for the formation of a 45-day emergency government, amid ongoing political deadlock.
In a post on X, al-Mashhadani appealed to parliamentary blocs and the current speaker and his deputies to convene an extraordinary session to approve the temporary arrangement.
— الدكتور محمود المشهداني (@MH_Almashhadani) March 21, 2026
The Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) —the largest bloc in parliament— has agreed to delay selecting a prime minister until after the ongoing regional war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, a source told Shafaq News on Monday.
Under Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing system, top positions are distributed along sectarian lines, with the presidency held by a Kurd, the prime ministership by a Shiite Muslim, and the speakership by a Sunni Arab. The CF nominated former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on January 24, but disputes over electing a president continue to block the process, as the constitution requires parliament to choose a head of state before assigning a prime minister-designate —a deadline that expired on January 28.
Read more: Iraq PM race stuck between largest bloc dispute and US pressure
