Iraqi Parliament postpones today’s presidential session
Shafaq News– Baghdad
The Iraqi Council of Representatives has officially postponed the parliamentary session that was scheduled to convene at 11 a.m. on January 27, "until further notice."
A parliamentary source revealed to Shafaq News that holding the presidential election session has become conditional on approval from the Parliament presidency, understanding between major political blocs, and the opinion of the Supreme Judicial Council, amid expectations of recurrent postponement
According to the source, the Shiite Coordination Framework sent an official inquiry to Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zaidan regarding the possibility of holding the session at a later date.
Earlier today, Parliament Speaker Haibet al-Halbousi received formal requests from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) seeking to postpone the parliamentary session.
According to a statement from his media office, the request is to allow additional time for consultations and an agreement between the two Kurdish parties over the presidential post.
The Reconstruction and Development (Al-Ima’ar wal Tanmiya) parliamentary bloc, led by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said on Tuesday it had submitted a formal request to the parliament’s leadership, urging it not to postpone the session.
In a press conference, Bahaa al-Araji, a leader in the bloc, warned that “any delay would violate constitutional deadlines and would directly affect the timetable for forming the next government.”
Under Iraq’s informal power-sharing arrangement, the presidency is reserved for the Kurdish component and is traditionally contested between the KDP and the PUK, while the premiership is held by a Shiite figure and the speakership of parliament by a Sunni.
According to constitutional timelines, parliament is required to elect a president within one month of its first session, a deadline that expires on January 28.
Read more: Iraq’s Presidential Race: Kurdish candidates competing for the post
