Iraq’s presidential nomination deadline is set to expire on January 5 as forty-one candidates have entered the presidential race, including the daughter of former President Fouad Masum. Despite the crowded field, only 30 candidates had formally submitted nomination papers to parliament’s legal department by the conclusion of Sunday, indicating an imminent narrowing of the race through procedural vetting.
Iraq held parliamentary elections in the second week of November last year, followed by the certification of final results in mid-December. The new parliament convened its inaugural session in the final week of December and elected a speaker, commencing a 30-day period to select a president. Formal nominations opened in the first week of January and are approaching their close on January 5.
Under the constitution, parliament must elect a president within 30 days. The president then has 15 days to nominate a prime minister, who must present a cabinet to parliament for a confidence vote within 30 days. Under Iraq’s power-sharing system, the presidency is reserved for a Kurd, the speaker’s post for a Sunni Muslim and the prime minister’s office for a Shiite Muslim. The failure of the two principal Kurdish parties to reach consensus on candidates thus far underscores deepening divisions and could delay the formation of the next government.
