Iraq clears 15 candidates for presidential race
Shafaq News– Baghdad
The Iraqi parliament announced on Wednesday the names of 15 candidates eligible to run for the post of president of the republic, narrowing a field of more than 40 applicants.
In an official statement, the following candidates fulfilled the conditions stipulated in Article 1 of the Law on Candidacy for the Presidency No. 8 of 2012:
Shwan Huwaiz Fariq Namq
Ahmed Abdullah Tawfiq Ahmed
Hussein Taha Hassan Mohammed Sinjari
Najmuddin Abdul Karim Hama Karim Nasrallah
Asu Fereydoun Ali
Saman Ali Ismail Shalli
Sabah Saleh Saeed
Abdullah Mohammed Ali Zahir
Abdul Latif Mohammed Jamal Rashid Sheikh Mohammed
Iqbal Abdullah Amin Halewi
Nizar Mohammed Saeed Mohammed Kanji
Sardar Abdullah Mahmoud Taymez
Fouad Mohammed Hussein Baki
Muthanna Amin Nader
Nozad Hadi Mawlood
The Council of Representatives clarified that any applicant whose name does not appear on the list of eligible candidates may submit a written objection to the Federal Supreme Court within three days from the date of this announcement.
With parliament holding its first session on December 29, 2025, the constitutional deadline to elect the president falls on January 28, 2026.
Since 2005, Iraq’s presidency has traditionally been held by a Kurd, with the position largely going to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) under informal power-sharing arrangements. On January 5, Iraq’s two main Kurdish parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the PUK, nominated their candidates for the presidency, reviving a post traditionally shaped by rivalry between the two sides. The competition has repeatedly delayed presidential votes, most notably after the October 2021 elections.
Read more: Iraq’s Presidential Race: Kurdish candidates competing for the post
Under Iraq’s constitution, the president is elected by the 329-member Council of Representatives in a special session requiring a two-thirds quorum. A candidate must secure a two-thirds majority in the first round, or face a runoff between the top two contenders decided by a simple majority.
Read more: Iraq begins 90-day countdown to form government as political fault lines re-emerge
