BAGHDAD (AFP/Xinhua) – Iraq’s parliament will meet on Thursday to “elect the president,” a press release from speaker Mohammed al-Halbussi’s office said on Tuesday, after months of political impasse.
More than a year after the last general election in Iraq, Halbussi’s office said Thursday’s parliamentary session would have “a single item on the agenda, the election of the President of the Republic.”
Iraqis last voted on October 10, 2021 in an election triggered by a wave of mass protests against, rampant unemployment and decaying infrastructure.
Ahead of Tuesday’s surprise announcement, the United Nations mission had urged political factions to end the deadlock paralyzing the oil-rich country, warning that “Iraq is running out of time.”
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on Monday warned of further instability and called on Iraqi political parties to engage in dialogue to end the political gridlock that hampered the formation of a new government one year after the Oct. 10 parliamentary elections in 2021.
“Today, Iraq is running out of time. The protracted crisis is breeding further instability, and recent events are a testament to that. In addition, it threatens people’s livelihoods,” UNAMI said in a statement.
The statement urged all parties to engage in dialogue without preconditions.
The country has yet to form a new government after last year’s election, leaving caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi in charge.
Rival factions in parliament have been vying for influence and the right to select a new premier and government.
The standoff has seen both sides set up protest camps and at times has sparked deadly street clashes in Baghdad.
On August 30, current President Barham Saleh had urged “new, early elections in accordance with a national consensus,” saying these could provide “an exit from the stifling crisis.”
The largely honorific post of Iraqi president is traditionally reserved for a Kurd.