Nizar Amidi Secures Iraq's Presidency
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) candidate swept to victory against rival Muthanna Amin, who garnered a mere 15 votes, with seven ballots ruled invalid. Amidi immediately took the constitutional oath before parliament following the formal announcement of results, succeeding outgoing President Abdul Latif Rashid.
His path to the presidency was not without obstacles. As reported by a correspondent, the election's first round drew participation from 252 of 329 sitting lawmakers — falling short of the two-thirds supermajority of 220 votes constitutionally required for a first-round victory. The contest consequently advanced to a runoff, in which a simple majority threshold of 165 votes applies and competition is narrowed to the two leading candidates.
The vote itself had been a long time coming. Iraq's parliament twice postponed the presidential election session — most recently in early February — amid protracted disagreements between the country's two dominant Kurdish factions, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the PUK, over the presidency's rightful claimant. Under Iraq's entrenched power-sharing framework, the presidency is customarily reserved for a Kurdish figure, with the KDP and PUK historically jostling over the post. Parliament had convened its inaugural session on December 29.
With Amidi's election now confirmed, constitutional gears are already in motion. Article 76, Paragraph A of Iraq's constitution mandates that the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc must form a Council of Ministers within 15 days of the president's election — placing an immediate and pressing deadline on government formation.
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