Iraqi president orders parliament to convene on Sept. 3
A man walks past a campaign poster ahead of the parliamentary election in Kirkuk, Iraq May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi President Fuad Masum issued on Monday a decree, ordering the newly-elected parliament to convene early next month, a move which precedes the election of the new president and formation of the long-awaited government.
According to the decree, “the first session of the parliament will be held on Monday, September 3, and will be chaired by the oldest lawmaker.”
Under the Iraqi constitution, 15 days after final election results are endorsed by the Federal Supreme Court, the new parliament must hold its first session during which the speaker will be chosen.
A new president will be elected within three days of the legislature convening and the president will then ask the largest parliamentary bloc to form a cabinet.
Iraq’s president is elected by the parliament by a two-thirds majority and is limited to two four-year terms
The speaker of the Iraqi parliament should be a Sunni Arab, the prime minister a Shiite, and the president a Kurd.
Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Sairoon coalition won 54 parliamentary seats in the May 12 parliamentary polls, followed by an al-Hashd al-Shaabi-linked coalition (47 seats) and Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi’s Victory bloc (42 seats).
The vote results, however, have aroused widespread fraud allegations.