Iraqi Legislators have failed for a third time to elect a new President for lack of a quorum, officials said, deepening the country’s political crisis.
A quorum requires the minimum number of members of an assembly or society that must be present at any of its meetings to make the proceedings of that meeting valid.
The Parliament’s Press Service noted on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, without giving a date for a new session that “The assembly adjourned its session until further notice”. On the other hand, Iraq’s Federal Court has given Legislators until April 6, 2022, to choose a new President. Political Scientist, Hamza Haddad emphasized that if that deadline is missed, “we could reach a point where new elections are decided to break the deadlock”.
According to a Parliamentary source, only 178 out of 329 lawmakers were present in Parliament on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, which is far short of the two-thirds quorum required for the vote. Just as in the previous two aborted votes, last Saturday, March 26, 2022, and February 7, 2022, Wednesday’s (March 30, 2022) session was boycotted by a major Shia coalition bloc in Parliament.
The continued failure of Iraq’s Parliament to select a President after last year’s (2021) elections reflects a deep division between Shia (one of the two main branches of Islam) political groupings.
Political paralysis and the Structure to follow
Half a year, after the legislative elections, Iraq still does not have a new President or Prime Minister, hence, it has kept the country in a state of political paralysis.
Parliamentarians must first elect the Head of State by convention, a member of the Kurdish Minority, with a two-thirds majority. The President then appoints the Head of Government, a position now held by Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who has been Prime Minister of Iraq since 2020. Among the 40 candidates for the Presidency, two are considered the frontrunners: Incumbent Barham Saleh, of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and Rebar Ahmed of the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
Recap of earlier events
On February 13, 2022, Iraq’s Supreme Court ruled out a Presidential bid by KDP-backed Veteran Politician, Hoshyar Zebari, after a complaint was filed against him over years-old of untried corruption charges.
Iraqi politics was thrown into turmoil following October’s (2021) election, which was stained by a low turnout record, post-vote threats and violence, and months-long delay before the final results were confirmed.
The largest political bloc, led by Shia Leader, Muqtada Al-Sadr, had backed Zebari for the Presidency before moving its support to Ahmed.
The failed votes in Parliament have underscored the Gulf in Iraqi politics between Al-Sadr, the general election’s big winner, and the powerful Coordination Framework, which called the boycotts. The Coordination Framework includes Former Prime Minister, Nuri Al-Maliki’s party and the Pro-Iran Fatah Alliance, the political arm of the Shia-led Former Paramilitary group, Hashed al-Shaabi.
Alongside backing Ahmed for the Presidency, Al-Sadr intends to entrust the post of Prime Minister to his cousin and brother-in-law, Jaafar Al-Sadr, Iraq’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom. However, that prospect is unpalatable for the Coordination Framework.
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