After yesterday’s drama, today’s vote for the new Speaker of Parliament was a far more mundane affair. Despite insisting on the right to run for the position, Muthanna al-Samarrai withdrew his candidacy just before the vote began. He spoke briefly before the candidates were announced, declaring his withdrawal “for the public interest.” Samarrai had pinned his hopes on the Coordination Framework voting for him, but the Framework told him they would vote for Haibat al-Halbusi, as he had the backing of the majority of the Sunni parties.
Haibat al-Halbusi received 208 votes from the 309 MPs in attendance, with Salim al-Issawi a distant second with 66 votes. This marked the return of control of Parliament to Taqadum’s leader, Muhammad al-Halbusi, who had been ousted in his second term in November 2023. During his two-year hiatus, he largely repaired relations with the Framework and the Sunni parties, which provided the platform for his return to political ascendancy.
Muthanna al-Samarrai met earlier today with the Chair of the Supreme Judicial Council, Faiq Zaidan, to query if there were any legal implications for Haibat al-Halbusi’s election as Speaker. After being informed that both he and Halbusi would face no immediate judicial investigations into forged documents and corruption, Samarrai met with the National Political Council leaders, who issued a statement thanking him for withdrawing his candidacy for Speaker.
The Framework wasted no time in providing a signed declaration of party leaders showing it as the largest bloc to the new Speaker. Framework Secretary-General Abbas Radhi al-Ameri presented the document to Haibat al-Halbusi before voting began for the first deputy Speaker. The Framework has yet to agree on a candidate for Prime Minister, and there was also no consensus on the nominee for the first deputy Speaker.
During Halbusi’s second term as Speaker, the Framework viewed Muhsin al-Mandalawi, the first deputy Speaker, as largely ineffective. Lacking political experience and confidence, Mandalawi was a shadow of the influence his predecessor, the Sadrist Hakim al-Zamili, wielded during his short-lived tenure. The Framework was keen to replace Mandalawi with a deputy Speaker who would have such an impact.
Yasir Abd Sukhayl al-Maliki of State of Law and Adnan Faihan al-Dulaimi, the outgoing governor of Babylon province from Asaib Ahl al-Haq, were the frontrunners, but Mandalawi insisted he would run as well. Eventually, State of Law backed AAH candidate Faihan, and in today’s vote, Faihan received 178 votes to Mandalawi’s 107. The division within the Framework may not have been consequential at this juncture, but it hints at how protracted the consensus for the PM nominee has become.
The vote for the second deputy Speaker, which was supposed to be the most straightforward one of the day, ended up being far closer and much more protracted than expected. MPs voted according to their individual preferences rather than following bloc instructions, a trend that has become more common in recent years. Disputes over the spelling of some of the names in the ballot slips intensified as the vote looked like it was heading to an upset. The incumbent, Shakhawan Abdullah of the KDP, who was expected to retain his position easily, received only 119 votes out of 293. In a surprise result, Rebwar Karim of al-Mawqif al-Watani (Halwest) received 153 votes, just short of the 165 needed for an outright win and to avoid a second round of voting.
During a nearly 4-hour delay before the second round, the KDP lobbied various party leaders for their support, threatening to withdraw from Parliament and from government formation. Most of the Framework also attempted to marshal its MPs to vote for Shakhawan Abdullah and requested that other blocs vote for the KDP candidate. Some MPs departed the session as the clock passed 11 pm in Baghdad. The second round began without the KDP in attendance, but they eventually returned to vote.
At nearly half past midnight, voting in the second round concluded, and the count began. A total of 280 votes were cast, and despite intense lobbying for Shakhawan Abdullah, he received only 102, fewer than in the first round. Rebwar Karim received 157 votes, again just short of victory. A third round was needed, but as the clock approached 1 am, the session was delayed until 2 pm.
The KDP may withdraw rather than face defeat, and they will be furious that the Sunni and Shia parties did not vote through their candidate, violating prior agreements on voting for the candidate of the largest bloc/party for each position. Should it fail to secure the second deputy Speaker role, there will be significant repercussions for the vote on the President of the Republic and the government formation process.
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