Sunni political leaders meet at the residence of Khamis Al-Khanjar to decide on a nominee for the speaker of parliament.
Key meeting underway to decide Sunni nominee for parliament speaker on eve of first session
BAGHDAD — The National Political Council, representing Sunni political groups, is convening a critical meeting on Sunday at the home of Al-Siyada Alliance leader Khamis Al-Khanjar to finalize a nominee for the post of speaker of parliament.
The meeting comes ahead of the new Iraqi parliament’s first session scheduled for Monday, during which members are set to take the constitutional oath and elect the speaker and two deputies.
Under Iraq’s post‑2003 power‑sharing convention, the speakership is traditionally reserved for a Sunni Arab politician, while the presidency goes to a Kurd and the prime minister position to a Shiite Arab.
The council previously failed to reach consensus on a single nominee. The current competition is between Mohammed Al-Halbousi, leader of the Taqaddum Alliance and former speaker, and Muthanna Al-Samarrai, head of the Azm Alliance.
In November, major Sunni political parties announced the formation of the National Political Council, a joint bloc they say will coordinate positions across the sixth parliamentary cycle and serve as a unified counterpart to the Shia Coordination Framework, which leads the current government under Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
The council brings together Taqaddum, Azm, Al-Siyada, the National Hasm Alliance and the Jamaheer Party. In the Nov. 11 parliamentary elections, the five parties secured a combined 59 seats, including 27 for Taqaddum, 15 for Azm, 9 for Al-Siyada, 5 for the Hasm and 3 for Jamaheer.