After having failed to complete the election of the Speaker and 2 deputies on Monday, the last day per the constitutional timeline, the second deputy Speaker, Farhad Atrushi, was elected on Tuesday evening. With a deadlock persisting after the second round of voting, the temporary Speaker, Amer al-Fayiz, adjourned the session at nearly 1 am on Tuesday, ostensibly for “consultations,” until 2 pm Tuesday. The consultations were meant to bypass a legal ruling that prevents Parliament from maintaining open sessions, thereby forcing it to stick to constitutional deadlines. Apparently, this move was approved by the Chair of the Supreme Judicial Council, Faiq Zaidan, who was present in the Tuesday afternoon session to ensure proceedings did not face further delays.
The deadlock was brought about after the PUK, Taqadum, and AAH (as well as other smaller parties) voted for Rebwar Karim in both rounds instead of Shakhawan Abdullah. Each party had its own reasons for voting against the KDP: the PUK as a response to the KDP attempting to take over nomination of the President, Taqadum as a response to the KDP vetoing Muhammad Halbusi’s push to become Speaker again, and AAH in response to the KDP not voting for Adnan Faihan as the first deputy Speaker (the KDP voted for Mandalawi). Framework leaders Maliki, Ameri, and Hakim lobbied hard for a compromise on Tuesday morning, and, with Abdullah’s replacement by Atrushi, they convinced the 3 parties that a symbolic victory had been won and that they had to back the KDP candidate for the political process to move forward.
On Tuesday evening, a relatively smooth vote saw Farhad Atrushi receive 178 votes to Rebwar Karim’s 104, thereby completing the three-man presidium of Parliament. But the events of the two days point to continued political friction between the parties and within each constituency. The Sunni National Political struggled to reach a consensus on a Speaker, and the parties are in a furious competition for cabinet positions. The Shia Coordination Framework has still not agreed on a PM nominee and was divided in the voting for the first and second deputy Speakers. The KDP and PUK are divided on the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government and the nominee for President of the Republic. The divisions look set to intensify in the coming weeks as decision time looms on choosing a President and a Prime Minister.
Upon assuming his duties, Speaker Haibat al-Halbusi confirmed the Coordination Framework as the largest bloc in Parliament. He also declared nominations open for the position of President and then adjourned Parliament until Monday, 5 January. Halbusi later met with leaders of the National Political Council, who welcomed back Muthanna al-Samarrai.
On Wednesday, the Speaker held a series of meetings, including with Prime Minister Sudani, but a couple stood out for the way they were conducted. During meetings with the Jordanian and Iranian Ambassadors, the Speaker was seated to the side of Taqadum’s party chief, Muhammad al-Halbusi. This again reinforced the obvious seniority and the real Speaker of Parliament.
Some coverage in the past two days has also focused on the election of the first deputy Speaker, Adnan Faihan of AAH. A two-term MP and the outgoing Governor of Babylon province, Faihan is a senior figure in AAH, which the United States designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2020. Observers question what the U.S. response will be and if they will have any dealings with Faihan. AAH has a senior member, Naeem al-Aboudi, in the Sudani government as the Higher Education Minister, and the U.S. avoided all contact or cooperation with the Ministry as a result.
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