Options for Electing a New Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament

The legal committee in Iraq identified two options for electing a new speaker of parliament. Committee member MP Muhammad Anouz stated that "the acting Speaker of the Parliament, Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, inquired with the Federal Court regarding the rounds for electing the Speaker." He pointed out that "the constitutional text stipulates that the Speaker of the Council must be elected by an absolute majority, which is half + one, amounting to 166 votes, or through additional sessions." He added that "nominations can only come from those on the list, and if one candidate withdraws, another candidate will be chosen. If all candidates withdraw, the nomination process will restart or they will opt to amend the internal system, after which the nomination process will be opened again to find solutions for the issue of candidates not obtaining the half + 1." He stressed the importance of "reaching a certain formula that does not violate the law."