Iraq’s parliament elects new speaker, ending yearlong deadlock

Former Sunni talker secured 182 votes successful the 329-seat legislature with important enactment from Shia governmental blocs.

Iraq’s parliament has elected Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, a salient Sunni lawmaker who has a adjacent narration with Iran, arsenic its caller talker aft months of deadlock among governmental factions.

Al-Mashhadani, who served a erstwhile stint arsenic talker from 2006 to 2009, was selected by a ballot of 182 of the 269 legislators who attended the league connected Thursday. Parliament has 329 seats.

In November 2023, the Federal Supreme Court abruptly terminated the tenure of the astir almighty Sunni parliament speaker, Mohammed al-Halbousi, without saying why, mounting the signifier for a combat implicit succession that dragged connected for adjacent to 12 months.

Al-Halbousi, who had served arsenic the politician of Anbar province, was elected successful 2018. He was 37 astatine the clip and became the youngest parliament talker successful the country’s history. He was re-elected successful 2022 for a 2nd word and served until his removal successful 2023.

Al-Mashhadani secured his predetermination with important enactment from the conjugation that includes influential Shia parties and Iran-aligned groups on with the State of Law conjugation led by erstwhile Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Under the country’s sectarian power-sharing system, the parliament talker is ever Sunni, the premier curate Shia and the president Kurdish.

The relation of talker is important successful Iraq’s often fragmented governmental landscape. Al-Mashhadani volition present person to tackle galore challenges including corruption and interior divisions that could besides endanger his post.

He volition besides person to woody with immoderate arguable legislation, including a projected amendment to Iraq’s idiosyncratic presumption instrumentality governing household matters, which critics accidental would successful effect legalise child marriage.

His predetermination comes arsenic Iraq attempts to navigate the repercussions of Israel’s wars successful Gaza and Lebanon and balances its narration with Iran and the United States.

Iran-aligned militias, specified arsenic the Islamic Resistance successful Iraq, person regularly launched drone attacks connected bases lodging US troops successful Iraq and Syria successful retaliation for Washington’s enactment for Israel.

Iraq’s authorities has sought to debar alienating the US, connected which it has relied for economical and subject support, with US troops inactive based successful the state chiefly to antagonistic ISIL (ISIS).

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies