ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s parliament on Monday set April 11 as the date for a session to elect the country’s next president amid ongoing political deadlock.
“The parliament leadership decided to set Saturday, April 11, as the date for the session to elect the President of the Republic,” the parliament’s media office said in a statement.
The decision follows a meeting on Sunday between the parliament speakership and heads of parliamentary blocs, where they discussed the presidential election process and the need to end “the political deadlock in light of the security and economic conditions the country is facing,” according to the statement.
The parliament also urged political leaders to “assume their responsibilities in completing the constitutional requirements and forming a government.”
The move comes as Iraq’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework has called for accelerating the election process and urged political parties to resolve their differences.
However, President Masoud Barzani, who is the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), on Saturday warned that rushing to elect a president could lead to “counterproductive” results and “deeper divisions,” stressing the need for further consultations and consideration of all political components.