Iraqi parliament votes to allow candidature for president

By Ibrahim Saleh

BAGHDAD (AA) - The Iraqi parliament on Saturday voted to reopen the door for candidates to run for president.

The decision was adopted by 203-62 votes, the parliament said in a statement.

Saturday’s decision will allow the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which has 31 seats in the 329-member parliament, to nominate a candidate for the post after their candidate, former Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, was disqualified by a court ruling.

Last month, the Iraqi parliament failed to elect a new president amid a boycott of most parliamentary blocs due to differences over presidential candidates and the government formation.

The election of a president is an important step towards forming a new government following the Oct. 10 parliamentary elections.

Under a political norm since 2006, a Kurd is elected for Iraq’s presidency, while a Sunni heads the parliament, and a Shia takes the prime minister position.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara