Six names are competing for the position of Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament.

An informed source in the National Political Council, which includes the Sunni political forces that won the elections, revealed on Tuesday the names nominated for the presidency of the House of Representatives in its new session.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that “the meeting of the National Political Council forces, which includes Sunni components and is scheduled to be held next Thursday, will discuss a list of names of candidates for the presidency of Parliament and the matching of the candidate’s biography with the controls set by the Council in choosing the new Speaker of Parliament.”

He added that “the list of candidates for the position includes the leader of the Progress Party, Mohammed al-Halbousi, former Minister of Education Mohammed Tamim, Minister of Defense Thabit Mohammed al-Abbasi, and the leader of the Azm Alliance, Muthanna al-Samarrai, in addition to Salem al-Issawi and Mahmoud al-Qaisi.”

The source indicated that “the requirements for the position of Speaker of Parliament have been set at 25 points,” explaining that “another session will be held after Thursday’s meeting to finalize the nomination of a suitable candidate for the new Speaker of Parliament.”

A political source previously revealed to Shafaq News Agency that the National Political Council, which unites the Sunni forces that won the recent parliamentary elections, intends to hold its first meeting next Thursday to discuss the distribution of positions among the council’s blocs and parties.

It is worth noting that the spokesman for the Sovereignty Alliance, Mohammed Abbas, revealed to Shafaq News Agency last Saturday that there are some secret names being discussed behind the scenes as candidates for the presidency of the Iraqi Parliament.

Last Sunday, the Sunni alliances and parties that won the elections announced the establishment of the “National Political Council” during an expanded meeting held at the initiative and invitation of the head of the Sovereignty Alliance, Khamis al-Khanjar, in Baghdad, with the aim of unifying visions and positions on major national issues and strengthening joint action between political leaders and blocs, according to a statement issued at the time.

According to the final election results, Sunni forces won 77 seats, making the reshaping of alliances a crucial factor in the negotiations to form the next government.

Shafaq.com