Al-Halboosi heads a meeting of parliamentary blocs with presidential, premiership candidates

Iraq’s parliament speaker Mohammad al-Halboosi hosted a meeting of the parliamentary blocs’ leaders with presidential candidates Barham Salih and Abdul-Latif Rachid, a source reported on Thursday ahead of a decisive vote.

Iraq’s parliament convened today for a session meant to elect a new president amid divisions that have led to a year-long political deadlock.

The source said that the meeting was attended by the Coordination Framework’s candidate for the premiership, Mohammad Shiyaa al-Sudani.

Inside sources said  that the Sunni al-Siyada bloc will support Al-Rachid in his bid to replace incumbent Salih. Khamis al-Khanjar’s bloc will follow the leads of his former allies in the trilateral coalition, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which will also vote for Al-Rachid.