Haibat al-Harbousi of the Takadum (Progressive) Party was elected as the new speaker of the parliament.
Published December 29, 2025
Iraq’s newly elected parliament elected Haibat al-Khalbousi as its speaker. This was an important step in forming a new government after months of political turmoil.
Iraqi media reported on Monday, citing the National Assembly’s Press Office, that al-Khalbousi of the Takadum (Progressive) party had received 208 votes, a clear victory over his two opponents who received 66 and 9 votes respectively.
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Mr al-Harbousi’s party draws support primarily from the Sunni heartland in the country’s west and north.
Iraqis are looking forward to the first sitting of parliament, known as the Iraqi Representative Council, seeking certainty for the country’s leadership after a Nov. 11 vote that left mixed prospects for forming a new government.
Under Iraq’s customary muhasasa system, which has been in place since the first post-2003 constitutional government, parliament is supposed to elect a speaker (a Sunni consensus candidate) and two members during its first session.
What will follow, Muhasasa said, will be a presidential vote for a Kurdish candidate. The president will then nominate a candidate from the Shiite Coordination Framework (SCF), the largest Shiite bloc, to be prime minister.
complicated picture
Before the election, Supreme Judicial Council President Faik Zaidan urged lawmakers to abide by the constitutional deadline of up to 90 days to form a government, and the Federal Supreme Court (FSC) ratified the results sooner than usual.
However, few people expect quick results. This process typically takes several months, and in 2021 it took more than 300 days. There are doubts as to who the SCF would choose as a suitable candidate for Prime Minister.
Incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani was nominated by the SCF four years ago, but ran an independent electoral roll and broke away from the alliance, winning a landslide victory for his Reconstruction and Development Coalition (RDC), which won around 46 of the 329 seats.
However, last month’s FSC decision reinstated him into the SCF and its leadership, many of whom do not hold seats in parliament and act as external power brokers.
The SCF now faces the question of whether to support al-Sudani or an alternative candidate as prime minister, while also grappling with how to respond to the growing presence in parliament of members linked to Shiite parties with pro-Iranian and anti-Western militant groups.
Of the SCF’s more than 180 members, 80 to 90 belong to groups or armed groups close to Iran, most of whom are under U.S. sanctions. In 2021, these groups won just 17 seats.
Their growing presence in parliament could pose problems not only for Iraq’s relations with foreign powers, but also for Iraq’s Shiites, who resent Tehran’s strong influence in the country.
