BAGHDAD, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's parliament on Tuesday postponed a key session to elect the country's next president after the two main Kurdish parties failed to reach an agreement.
Parliament Speaker Haibet al-Halbousi said the session was delayed following formal requests from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) for more time to negotiate, according to a parliamentary statement. He told lawmakers a new date would be announced soon and stressed that parliament "will not violate the constitutional timelines."
Under the Iraqi constitution, a new president must be elected by a two-thirds majority of the 329-member parliament, a high threshold that usually requires broad cross-sectarian support and often leads to lengthy negotiations.
The constitution requires parliament to elect a president within 30 days of choosing the speaker. The president then has 15 days to assign the largest parliamentary bloc's nominee to form a cabinet, which must win a vote of confidence within 30 days. Halbousi was elected speaker on Dec. 29, 2025.
On Saturday, Iraq's Shiite Coordination Framework, the largest parliamentary bloc, officially nominated former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a third term to lead the next government.
Under Iraq's post-2003 ethno-sectarian power-sharing system, the presidency is reserved for a Kurd, the speaker's post for a Sunni Muslim, and the prime minister's office for a Shiite Muslim. ■
