Iraq Sunni factions to settle parliament speaker choice

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq’s Sunni political forces are preparing to hold a decisive meeting in Baghdad on Sunday to agree on a new parliament speaker.

Salah Al-Dulaimi, from the Azm Alliance led by Muthanna Al-Samarrai, told Shafaq News that leaders of Sunni groups that won seats in the election will gather under the banner of the newly formed National Political Council to reach consensus on a single nominee or narrow the contest to two names before parliament convenes on December 29.

The talks, he added, are aimed at entering the first parliamentary session with a unified Sunni position, after years of internal divisions that diluted political influence and complicated post-election bargaining.

Several prominent figures remain in contention, including Al-Samarrai and former speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi, though no official nomination has been made. Al-Dulaimi explained that his alliance believes Al-Samarrai is well placed to manage the next phase because of his ability to forge alliances and avoid “crisis-driven” parliamentary politics.

The meeting follows remarks by Faiq Zidan, head of the Supreme Judicial Council, who said parliament’s opening session must end with the election of a speaker and two deputies, warning that any postponement would breach the constitution. He added that lawmakers would then have 30 days to nominate a president.

Selecting a speaker marks the first procedural step toward forming Iraq’s next government under the post-2003 power-sharing system, which allocates the speakership to a Sunni figure, the presidency to a Kurd and the premiership to a Shiite nominee. Shiite parties in the Coordination Framework have said they expect to settle on a prime ministerial candidate within weeks.

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