Iraqi parliament elects Kurdish politician Nizar Amedi as country's new president
Under Iraq's sectarian power-sharing system, the prime minister must be a Shi'ite Muslim, the parliamentary speaker a Sunni Muslim, and the president a Kurd
Iraqi parliament on Saturday elected Kurdish politician Nizar Amedi of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) as the country's new president.
According to the Iraqi constitution, Amedi now has 15 days to task a Shi’ite prime ministerial nominee with the formation of the government. Under Iraq's sectarian power-sharing system, the prime minister must be a Shi'ite Muslim, the parliamentary speaker a Sunni Muslim, and the president a Kurd.
The leader of Iraq’s largest Shiite political bloc and Iranian-aligned politician, Nouri al-Maliki, was positioned as the most likely candidate for the premiership, but U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to cut off support for Iraq should he be elected to the office.
The ruling Shiite Coordination Framework has yet to formally withdraw Maliki’s candidacy or announce a new nominee, but the threats from Washington have severely crippled any attempts to move forward with the government formation process.
Iraq is now due to choose a prime minister, a closely-watched and sensitive pick.