The Iraqi Parliament has officially released the final list of candidates vying for the presidency, featuring a diverse pool of 19 individuals. Among the contenders are the incumbent President, Abdul Latif Rashid, and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein.
According to a statement released by the Parliament, the list includes prominent figures such as the current President, Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, who assumed office in October 2022. Fuad Hussein, the outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs, is considered a leading candidate from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
Other notable candidates include former Governor of Erbil, Nawzad Hadi, and current Member of Parliament, Muthanna Amin. Nizar Mohammed Saeed Mohammed Kenji, also known as Nizar Amidi, a prominent Kurdish political figure and leading candidate from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), is also in the running.
The comprehensive list also features candidates such as Shwan Hweiz, Ahmed Abdullah, Hussein Taha Sinjari, Najm al-Din Nasrallah, Aso Faridun, Saman Shali, and Sabah Saleh. Additional candidates include Abdullah Al-Ulayawi, Iqbal Haliwi, Sardar Times, Khaled Sadiq, Azad Majid, Rafeh Musa, and Salem Al-Saadi.
Traditionally, the position of President is allocated to the Kurdish community as part of a power-sharing agreement among influential political factions. The KDP and PUK, the two major Kurdish parties in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq, typically compete for the role.
The Prime Minister’s post is traditionally held by a Shia Muslim, while the Speaker of Parliament is a Sunni Muslim. Hebat al-Halbousi was elected as the Speaker of Parliament on December 29th of last year.
Based on constitutional deadlines, the Parliament is obligated to elect a President within one month of the initial session that resulted in the election of al-Halbousi. This deadline is set to expire at the end of January. The coming weeks will be crucial as candidates intensify their campaigns and political blocs negotiate to determine the next leader of Iraq.
