INL nominates 3 MPs for parliament’s speakership

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi National List (INL) parliamentary bloc nominated female lawmaker Maysoon al-Damaloji and Shiite legislator Mahdi al-Hafodh to occupy the position of council of representatives’ speakership, in addition to Sunni lawmaker Osama al-Nojaifi, the INL’s head said on Tuesday. “This nomination was officially announced on Tuesday,” the INL’s head said on Tuesday. For her part, Shiite lawmaker al-Damaloji said, “My nomination came as no important post yet has been assigned to a woman, and to crack the sectarian quota system.” The quota system that has been there in Iraq since 2003 renders that the President of the Republic be a Kurd, the Premier a Shiite Arab, and parliament’s speaker a Sunni Arab. There is nothing in the Iraqi Constitution about this quota, but the system has become a constitutional tradition. MH (P)/SR 1