Iraq Sets Date for Presidential Vote

(MENAFN) Iraq's parliament has set April 11 as the date for a long-awaited session to elect the country's next president, as the nation's protracted political impasse shows little sign of self-resolution.

The parliament's presidency announced the decision following an expanded meeting with leaders of parliamentary blocs, convened to finalize legislative priorities and advance the stalled voting process for the chamber's standing committees, according to an official statement issued Monday.

The gathering underscored the urgent need to fulfill the constitutional obligation of electing a head of state and breaking the cycle of political paralysis gripping the country, the statement noted.

"The presidency calls upon the leaders of political blocs to uphold their responsibilities in completing the constitutional milestones and forming a government capable of addressing the current challenges," the statement said.

Iraq held parliamentary elections in November 2025. The constitution mandates that lawmakers elect a president by a two-thirds majority within 30 days of the parliament's inaugural session — a prerequisite that must be satisfied before the largest parliamentary bloc can formally nominate a prime minister to assemble a new cabinet with full executive authority.

Yet the process has repeatedly stalled, hamstrung by a persistent absence of consensus among the country's dominant political factions — leaving Iraq governed by a caretaker administration operating under severely constrained legal powers.

The renewed urgency to push the vote through comes as Iraq faces mounting pressure to restore political stability against the backdrop of a turbulent regional environment.

Iraq's constitution enshrines a carefully balanced ethno-sectarian power-sharing arrangement: the presidency is allocated to a Kurd, the parliamentary speakership to a Sunni Muslim, and the prime ministership to a Shiite Muslim.

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