By Laith Al-jnaidi
BAGHDAD (AA) – Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Parliament Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi called Wednesday for completing the constitutional requirements, amid disagreements among Kurdish parties on the election of the country’s president.
A statement by Sudani’s office said the premier met with Halbousi and discussed the situation in the country and the ongoing dialogue and efforts to fulfill constitutional requirements.
They underlined the importance “of integrated work between the legislative and executive branches to address challenges, maintain stability, and achieve development in various sectors to meet the aspirations of citizens.”
Earlier this month, the Iraqi parliament postponed for the second time a scheduled session to elect a president due to disagreements between the country’s two main Kurdish parties; the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), on the presidential candidate.
Under Iraq’s power-sharing system, the presidency is held by a Kurd, the prime minister is a Shiite and the speaker of parliament is a Sunni.
Last month, the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shiite parties, announced the nomination of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for premiership. The nomination, however, was opposed by US President Donald Trump, who threatened to end support to Iraq if Maliki is reinstalled.
Maliki served two terms as prime minister from 2006 to 2014, a period marked by major security challenges, including the rise of the ISIS (Daesh) terror group, which seized large swaths of the country before Iraq declared victory over it in 2017.
*Writing by Rania Abushamala