Iraqi parliament speaker meets with Kurdish officials in Erbil
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Mohammed al-Halbousi, newly-elected speaker of Iraq’s parliament, arrived in Erbil early Saturday to discuss filling the posts of Iraq’s prime minister and president with Kurdish officials, according to one of his deputies.
This is his first stop in a tour of Iraq’s parties to find consensus on government formation, said Bashir Haddad, a KDP lawmaker who was elected deputy speaker by the parliament.
“Starting from today, the presidency of the Iraqi parliament plans to visit political parties in a bid to bring together different parties and commit to the constitutional deadlines for the appointment of the president and prime minister,” he told Rudaw on Saturday.
Halbousi is separately meeting with KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, KDP leader Masoud Barzani, and Kurdistan Region Security Chancellor Masrour Barzani.
Masoud Barzani and Halbousi discussed “changes in Iraq’s political spectrum,” according to a statement from the office of the elder Barzani.
With respect to the new government taking shape in Baghdad, “Both sides agreed that parties should commit to the constitutional timelines for the political process and stressed commitment to the principles of partnership, agreement, and balance among ethnic and religious groups in the process of governance,” read the statement.
Halbousi (L) shakes hands with Nechirvan Barzani, deputy president of the KDP and KRG prime minister, on Saturday. Photo: Halbousi/Twitter
Halbousi, a Sunni politician, was elected speaker of the parliament last week. Candidates for the presidency have until Sunday afternoon to register formally.
Kurds, who have held the position since 2005 in a tradition of power-sharing, have not agreed on one nominee but are fielding five candidates.
The person who ultimately becomes president must have strong backing from the parliament, needing two-thirds of votes to ascend to the post.
The first job of the new president is to direct the biggest parliamentary bloc to form a cabinet.
Traditionally, the post of prime minister has gone to a Shiite. Like the Kurds, the Shiites have yet to agree on one candidate.
The Dawa party is rumoured to be favouring Tariq Najm who served as a senior advisor to current Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and chief of staff to former PM Nouri al-Maliki.
Najm reportedly has the blessing of Shiite spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani who has called for a new face to lead the country.
This is his first stop in a tour of Iraq’s parties to find consensus on government formation, said Bashir Haddad, a KDP lawmaker who was elected deputy speaker by the parliament.
“Starting from today, the presidency of the Iraqi parliament plans to visit political parties in a bid to bring together different parties and commit to the constitutional deadlines for the appointment of the president and prime minister,” he told Rudaw on Saturday.
Halbousi is separately meeting with KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, KDP leader Masoud Barzani, and Kurdistan Region Security Chancellor Masrour Barzani.
Masoud Barzani and Halbousi discussed “changes in Iraq’s political spectrum,” according to a statement from the office of the elder Barzani.
With respect to the new government taking shape in Baghdad, “Both sides agreed that parties should commit to the constitutional timelines for the political process and stressed commitment to the principles of partnership, agreement, and balance among ethnic and religious groups in the process of governance,” read the statement.
Halbousi (L) shakes hands with Nechirvan Barzani, deputy president of the KDP and KRG prime minister, on Saturday. Photo: Halbousi/Twitter
Halbousi, a Sunni politician, was elected speaker of the parliament last week. Candidates for the presidency have until Sunday afternoon to register formally.
Kurds, who have held the position since 2005 in a tradition of power-sharing, have not agreed on one nominee but are fielding five candidates.
The person who ultimately becomes president must have strong backing from the parliament, needing two-thirds of votes to ascend to the post.
The first job of the new president is to direct the biggest parliamentary bloc to form a cabinet.
Traditionally, the post of prime minister has gone to a Shiite. Like the Kurds, the Shiites have yet to agree on one candidate.
The Dawa party is rumoured to be favouring Tariq Najm who served as a senior advisor to current Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and chief of staff to former PM Nouri al-Maliki.
Najm reportedly has the blessing of Shiite spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani who has called for a new face to lead the country.
Halbousi’s final meeting in Erbil was with Masrour Barzani, adviser to the Kurdistan Region Security Council.
According to a readout from the meeting, they discussed the latest developments in Iraq and the active involvement of all sides in decision making. They stressed the need for partnership, consensus, and balance across all the government institutions in Iraq.
The speaker said he would jointly work with all MPs and blocs in lawmaking and bills in order to provide the best possible service without discrimination.
Updated at 6:21 p.m.