ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s main Sunni Arab political blocs on Sunday called on the Iraqi presidency to expedite government formation by convening the first parliamentary session before December 25, following a meeting to discuss their “vision” for the next government.
The Sunni National Political Council urged the presidency to “expedite setting the date for convening the first session of the Council of Representatives and electing the Speaker and his two deputies,” proposing that the session be held before December 25, according to a statement carried by state media.
The meeting was held at the headquarters of the Azm Front, led by businessman and politician Muthanna al-Samarrai. Earlier in the day.
Salah al-Marawi, a member of the Azm Alliance, told state-run Al-Sabah newspaper that the meeting would decide on “the selection of one or two candidates for the position of Speaker of Parliament.”
Since the 2003 US-led invasion, Iraq’s informal power-sharing system has allocated the speakership to Sunni Arabs, the premiership to Shiites, and the presidency to Kurds. Some Sunni bloc members have expressed interest in seeking the presidency in the upcoming cabinet.
According to the statement, the council “discussed constitutional entitlements and the council’s vision regarding the formation of the next government and its program,” stressing “the importance of communicating with political partners to expedite the formation of a new government capable of meeting the aspirations of the Iraqi street,” and identifying key priorities for the government agenda.
Iraq held its parliamentary elections on November 11. Final results were announced in mid-November, and Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court on Sunday ratified the vote results.
The united Sunni body congratulated the court on ratifying the election results and praised the efforts of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in completing the electoral process.
In November, leaders of Iraq’s Sunni political forces announced the formation of a “National Political Council” to unify Sunni positions during negotiations over the next government. On Sunday, Salah al-Kubaisi, a member of the Sovereignty Alliance, told Al-Sabah that the council is “still in the process” of reaching an agreement on its candidate for parliament speaker.
The council includes the Takaddum Front, led by former parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi (2018–2023); the Sovereignty Alliance, headed by Khamis al-Khanjar; the National Hasm Alliance, led by caretaker Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbasi; and the National Masses Party, headed by former Salahaddin governor Ahmed al-Jabouri.
According to final results released by Iraq’s electoral body, Takaddum won 27 seats in the 329-member parliament, Azm secured 15 seats, Sovereignty nine, Hasm five, and the National Masses Party three.