Iraq lawmakers reelect speaker as parliament resumes

BAGHDAD－Mohammed al-Halbousi was reelected as speaker of the Iraqi parliament in the first session of its new term on Sunday, in a move seen as signaling the first step toward forming a new government.

The resumed session was chaired by Khalid al-Darraji, the second alternative to the eldest member of the parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who was taken to hospital after a sudden health problem.

The session was attended by 228 lawmakers of the 329-seat parliament. They voted to keep al-Halbousi in the speaker's chair by an overwhelming majority of 200 votes. Al-Mashhadani, a former speaker, secured only 14 votes in the contest.

Al-Halbousi, an influential Sunni member of parliament, has been the parliamentary speaker since September 2018.

According to the Iraqi Constitution, the parliament must elect its speaker, and the first deputy and second deputy by an absolute majority of the lawmakers.

Governing system

Under Iraq's governing system, the prime minister is a member of the Shiite majority, the speaker is a Sunni and the largely ceremonial role of president is held by a Kurd.

Hakim al-Zamili, who ran for the Shiite Sadrist Movement, which came first in an election in October, was elected as the first deputy speaker. Shakhwan Abdulla, from the Kurdistan Democratic Party, was picked as the second deputy.

The new parliament's first session began on Sunday afternoon under the chairmanship of al-Mashhadani. However, the session was interrupted when some blocs of lawmakers began pushing for the status of the largest parliamentary alliance that would form the government in the coming four years. During those scenes, al-Mashhadani was taken to hospital.

The parliament should also elect a new president to succeed Barham Salih in a vote that must be held within 30 days of the first session of the parliament.

The Iraqi parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for 2022, were held on Oct 10, 2021. And the Sadrist Movement bloc, led prominent Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, won 73 seats, more than any other group in the 329-seat chamber.

The Sadrist Movement emerged in Iraq in the 1990s following Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's defeat in the Gulf War.

Xinhua - Agencies