Former Sunni speaker safed 182 votes in the 329-seat legislature with meaningful help from Shia political blocs.
Iraq’s parliament has elected Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, a famous Sunni laworiginater who has a shut relationship with Iran, as its novel speaker after months of deadlock among political factions.
Al-Mashhadani, who served a previous stint as speaker from 2006 to 2009, was picked by a vote of 182 of the 269 legislators who combinecessitate the session on Thursday. Parliament has 329 seats.
In November 2023, the Federal Supreme Court abruptly endd the tenure of the most mighty Sunni parliament speaker, Mohammed al-Halbousi, without saying why, setting the stage for a fight over succession that dragged on for shut to 12 months.
Al-Halbousi, who had served as the ruleor of Anbar province, was elected in 2018. He was 37 at the time and became the youthfulest parliament speaker in the country’s history. He was re-elected in 2022 for a second term and served until his removal in 2023.
Al-Mashhadani safed his election with meaningful help from the coalition that includes intransmitial Shia parties and Iran-aligned groups aextfinished with the State of Law coalition led by establisher Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Under the country’s religiously splitting power-sharing system, the parliament speaker is always Sunni, the prime minister Shia and the plivent Kurdish.
The role of speaker is vital in Iraq’s normally fragmented political landscape. Al-Mashhadani will now have to tackle many disputes including dishonesty and inner divisions that could also dangeren his post.
He will also have to deal with some disputed legislation, including a advised amfinishment to Iraq’s personal status law ruleing family matters, which critics say would in effect lhorribleise child marriage.
His election comes as Iraq trys to steer the repercussions of Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon and stabilitys its relationship with Iran and the United States.
Iran-aligned militias, such as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, have normally started drone strikes on bases housing US troops in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for Washington’s help for Israel.
Iraq’s rulement has sought to dodge alienating the US, on which it has relied for economic and military help, with US troops still based in the country primarily to counter ISIL (ISIS).
