Iraqi parliament stalls on second deputy speaker vote, decision expected Tuesday

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq’s Council of Representatives on Monday failed to elect a second deputy speaker after a fresh round of voting ended without a decisive outcome.

Official results showed lawmaker Rebwar Karim received 156 votes, while Shakhawan Abdullah garnered 102. Another 22 ballots were ruled invalid.

The session, chaired by the parliament’s eldest member, was referred to a third round of voting following consultations among lawmakers.

In an exclusive statement to Shafaq News, Badr Alliance leader Hadi Al-Ameri said parliament agreed to resume voting on the second deputy speaker post on Tuesday evening after efforts to reach a decision fell short.

Al-Ameri added that the Council of Representatives achieved what he described as a “major accomplishment” by electing the speaker of parliament and the first deputy speaker. However, he said the second deputy position remained unresolved because none of the candidates secured the absolute majority required under the constitution and the law.

Parliament’s leadership consists of a speaker and two deputies. Under political conventions established after 2003, the speaker’s post is allocated to a Sunni Arab, the first deputy speakership to a Shiite Arab, and the second deputy speakership to a Kurd.