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Iraq’s Council of Representatives announced a short list of 15 eligible candidates for president of the republic, the Iraqi News Agency reported, as parliament faces a Jan. 28 deadline to elect a president who will then ask the largest political bloc to nominate a prime minister.
A council statement published by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) said that, of 44 individuals initially registered by the parliamentary committee, 15 candidates remained on the short list.
Among those who must proceed to the parliamentary election stage are Iraq’s current president, Abdul Latif Rashid, who submitted his application in person, and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, backed by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
The statement added, “Any applicant for the office of president of the republic whose name does not appear among the candidates who meet the legal requirements has the right to file an objection with the Federal Supreme Court, in writing and exempt from the legal fee, within three days of this announcement.”
In late 2025, the Iraqi parliament elected Haibat al-Halbousi as speaker of the Council of Representatives.
Members of the Council of Representatives are responsible for electing Iraq’s president and granting confidence to the government. The elected president will task the nominee of the largest bloc in parliament with forming the government within 15 days of the president’s election.
In November last year, representatives of the “Coordination Framework,” which includes most of the Shiite parties and political forces that won more than 175 of the 329 seats in the Council of Representatives, agreed to present themselves as the “largest parliamentary bloc” eligible to form the next government.
Over the following 30 days, members of parliament must elect the president of the republic. The president, in turn, instructs the largest political bloc to nominate a candidate for the post of prime minister.
The deadline for electing the president is Jan. 28.
It is worth noting that the Iraqi constitution stipulates that the presidency is held by an Iraqi Kurd, the post of prime minister by a representative of the Shiite community, and the speakership of parliament by a representative of the Sunni community.
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