Parliament opens door to Iraq’s presidential candidates

Shafaq News– Baghdad

Iraq’s Parliament on Tuesday opened nominations for the post of president and set January 5, 2026, as the date for its next session, following the formal completion of its new leadership structure.

According to a statement from Parliament’s media department, Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi announced the start of the nomination process after the Presidency Board officially assumed its duties from the oldest member, Amer Al-Fayez, in line with parliamentary procedure.

From the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), senior figure Bankin Rikani told Shafaq News that the deadline for submitting presidential candidacies is limited to three days from the opening of nominations.

Under Iraq’s post-2003 political convention, the presidency is reserved for a Kurd. The position has traditionally gone to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), but the current process unfolds amid competition with the KDP, which emerged as the largest Kurdish force in the recent parliamentary elections, securing more than one million votes nationwide.

Political analyst Ahmed Youssef told our agency that disagreements between the two Kurdish parties—particularly those linked to forming the Kurdistan Regional Government—have complicated the presidential file and could delay a final decision.

The opening of presidential nominations follows Parliament’s completion of its leadership elections on Monday. Alongside Al-Halbousi, a Sunni Arab from the Taqaddum (Progress) Party, lawmakers elected two deputies: Adnan Fayhan of the Shiite Sadiqoun bloc as first deputy speaker, and KDP lawmaker Farhad Atrushi as second deputy speaker.

According to the constitutional timetable, Parliament must elect a president within 30 days of its first session. The elected president is then required to designate a prime minister within 15 days, with the new cabinet to be formed within 30 days of that designation.

Parallel to the presidential track, the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) has moved to advance the next stage of government formation. Imran Al-Karkoshi, a leader in the State of Law Coalition headed by Nouri Al-Maliki, told Shafaq News that the Framework, which holds the largest bloc in Parliament, has submitted an official document to the parliamentary presidency identifying the largest parliamentary blocs, a step required to begin the constitutional procedures for designating a prime minister. He added that the CF has sufficient time to agree on its nominee, indicating that the candidate is likely to be a new figure aligned with the Framework’s orientation.