Iraqi Parliament elects Al-Mashhadani as new Speaker

Shafaq News/ On Thursday, the Iraqi Parliament elected Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani as its Speaker, following nearly a year of political deadlock and multiple failed attempts to resolve the issue.

According to the media department of the Parliament, Al-Mashhadani received 181 votes, while Salem al-Issawi garnered 43 votes.

The Iraqi Parliament held a second round of voting on Thursday after no candidate secured enough votes to win in the first round.

The results of the first round showed Al-Mashhadani, the candidate from the Progress Party (Taqaddum) and the Sunni majority, leading with 153 votes. Salem al-Issawi, the candidate from Sovereignty (Al-Siyada) alliance, received 95 votes, while independent MP Amer Abdul Jabbar obtained 9 votes, and 15 votes were invalid.

Hadi al-Amiri, Head of the Badr Organization congratulated the Iraqi people on the election of the new Parliament Speaker pointing out that “all the brothers in the Coordination Framework, including Nouri Al-Maliki, Ammar Al-Hakim, and Qais Al-Khazali, supported Al-Mashhadani’s candidacy and election.”

“We cannot impose any candidate on the Sunni component, and Al-Mashhadani received the support of the Sunni majority, which is why he was backed,” he emphasized.

In response to a question from Shafaq News correspondent, al-Amiri stated, “There are no compromises. Anyone who claims otherwise is disappointed over the Parliament’s successful election of Al-Mashhadani. This outcome represents a significant national consensus among the political forces.”