KDP, State of Law boycott Saturday's presidential election session

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the State of Law Coalition announced Friday they would not attend tomorrow’s parliamentary session to elect Iraq's president.

The KDP's parliamentary bloc said in a statement that proceeding with the session "without returning to the foundations of consensus and partnership constitutes a clear disregard for the essence of national partnership and a serious retreat from the constitutional understandings on which the political process was built." The bloc insisted the presidency and the prime ministerial nomination were inseparable and must be handled as a single package through genuine dialogue -not by marginalizing key partners or imposing candidates without prior agreement.

State of Law, led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, also declared it would not attend and supported postponing the session, citing "fundamental disagreements between the forces and components of the political process." The bloc said it was essential to "create a positive atmosphere that guarantees responsible outcomes serving the country's interests."

The twin boycotts came hours after Parliament Speaker Haibet al-Halbousi urged all blocs to attend, warning that the names of absent lawmakers and the blocs blocking their participation would be made public. The Shiite Coordination Framework had signaled it intended to push the vote through regardless of Kurdish consensus, a position the KDP explicitly rejected as an attempt to impose a fait accompli.

Iraq is now more than 70 days past the constitutional deadline for electing a president, with 148 days elapsed since November's elections and no new government formed.

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