Iraqi legislators have failed to select a head of state for a second time, further deepening a political crisis spurred by infighting following federal elections five months ago.
Only 202 members arrived to Iraq’s parliament, falling short of the two-thirds quorum required for the 329-member legislature to conduct an electoral session to select the country’s president.
Saturday’s vote could not be held as many legislators allied with Iran-backed parties did not attend.
Another electoral session is scheduled for Wednesday.
Iraqi politicians have so far failed to agree on a compromise candidate for the presidency, exacerbating a political vacuum that also prevents the appointment of a prime minister.
Political groups now have two options: Continue negotiations until consensus is reached or dissolve parliament and hold federal elections again.
“Now the political process is in trouble,” said Shia legislator Muhammad Saadoun Al-Sayhoud.
Only 58 members showed up to the first presidential vote in parliament in early February.
That time, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr boycotted the session after Iraq’s supreme court suspended the nomination of front-runner Hoshyar Zebari, his bloc’s endorsed candidate.
This time, their members arrived to parliament, draped in white shrouds that Muslims use to wrap their dead, in a sign of their willingness to die for the cleric.
Saturday’s failure to achieve quorum reflects ongoing disagreements between Mr al-Sadr, who won the largest number of seats in the 2021 October federal election, and a coalition of Iran-backed Shia parties that form the Coordination Framework over the nomination of candidates.
Mr al-Sadr’s win, with 73 seats, was a major upset to Iran-backed parties.
But the powerful cleric’s intention to form a government with Kurdish and Sunni allies while excluding the Iran-backed parties has proven difficult. Rebar Khalid, interior minister in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, has been the choice candidate of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Mr al-Sadr’s ally.
Legislators belonging to their Kurdish rivals, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, were conspicuous no-shows to the session.
Parallel to the parliament session, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, allied with the Coordination Framework, held a gathering in his home with many legislators in attendance, in open defiance of the vote.
Based on an agreement forged after the 2003 US-led invasion, Iraq’s presidency – a largely ceremonial role – is held by a Kurd, while the prime minister is Shia and the parliament speaker is Sunni.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s government has been carrying out state duties with a caretaker status.
