The Iraqi parliament on Saturday reopened registration for candidates to run for president, a contest already behind schedule following last October's general election.

MPs, whose job it is to elect the president, a largely ceremonial role reserved for a Kurd, set a three-day period for candidates to register, an AFP correspondent inside parliament said, by a vote of 203 in favour from 265 who attended a special session.

Lack of a quorum and legal issues have held up the contest, adding to war-scarred Iraq's political uncertainty because the president has to name a prime minister from the largest bloc in parliament.

On February 13, Iraq's supreme court ruled out a bid by frontrunner and veteran politician Hoshyar Zebari to run for president after a complaint filed against him over years-old corruption charges.

His exclusion, from a field of some 25 candidates after an initial registration, appeared to clear the way for his main challenger, incumbent President Barham Saleh, expected to run for a second term.

Iraqi politics have been in turmoil since the October 2021 general elections, which were marred by a record-low turnout, post-election threats and violence, and a delay of several months until final results were confirmed.

Intense negotiations among political groups have since failed to form a majority parliamentary coalition to name a new prime minister to succeed Mustafa al-Kadhemi.

The largest political bloc led by firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, had backed Zebari for the presidency.

Related Links
Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

800 Iraqi refugees return home from Syria
Qamishli, Syria (AFP) March 3, 2022
Eight hundred Iraqi refugees returned home from northeast Syria on Thursday and hundreds more are to follow, a Syrian official in the region's Kurdish semi-autonomous administration said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the first group left on buses via the Al-Yarubiyah border crossing. The Iraqi government has "agreed to the return of (a total of) 800 families", the Syrian Kurdish source told AFP, adding that many of them had sought refuge in Syria after the Islamic State (IS) grou ... read more