ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi parliament is set on Monday to hold its first session of the sixth legislative term amid political disputes over the election of a new house speaker, with Sunni parties entering the session without consensus on a single candidate.
Preparations for the inaugural session have been completed, according to parliamentary officials. The session will be chaired by Amer al-Fayez, the eldest member of the parliament and head of the Shiite Tasmim Alliance, in line with parliamentary procedure.
“We have completed all preparations for the first session of the sixth term, and we face no obstacles,” Abdullah Zangana, head of media and relations for the Iraqi Parliament, told Rudaw.
The agenda includes the legal swearing-in ceremony for the newly-elected lawmakers in both Kurdish and Arabic, followed by the election of the parliamentary presidency, beginning with the speaker.
Under Iraq’s informal power-sharing arrangement established after 2003, the post of Parliament Speaker is reserved for Sunni Arabs. However, Sunni forces remain divided ahead of the vote.
After a meeting late Sunday, Sunni blocs in Iraq agreed to nominate Haybat al-Halbousi of Taqaddum Party as their candidate for parliament speaker while the Azm Alliance has nominated Muthanna al-Samarrai, setting the stage for a contested election.
Nihal Shammari, a member of the Azm Alliance, said there were ongoing efforts to resolve the dispute.
“According to available information, there is movement both among other political forces and within the Sunni component to settle this issue in favor of one side,” she told Rudaw.
Attention is also focused on the deputy speaker positions. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has officially nominated Shakhawan Abdullah for the role of Second Deputy Speaker who held the position in the fifth term. Shiite blocs, meanwhile, have yet to announce their candidate for the post of First Deputy Speaker.
“We will certainly have our candidate. We are the leading party with 27 seats; combined with the five quota seats, we hold 32 seats,” Sherwan Dubardani, a KDP lawmaker, told Rudaw. “It is the KDP’s right to have candidates for the positions of President of the Republic and Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament.”
Dubardani added that internal discussions point toward continuity, saying it is likely that “Dr. Shakhawan Abdullah will be re-selected for the post of Second Deputy Speaker.”
Following the election of the parliamentary presidency, Article 72 of the Iraqi Constitution grants parliament a 30-day period to elect the President of the Republic.
Rudaw’s correspondent in Baghdad Halkawt Aziz reported that intensive negotiations among political blocs are expected in the hours leading up to the session, as parties seek last-minute agreements on key positions that will shape the new parliamentary term.