ERBIL — The Iraqi Council of Representatives said on Thursday that it had set 7 February as a date to hold a special session and elect a new president for the country.
The decision was made during a meeting held by Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi and his two deputies earlier the day, an official statement explained.
According to the statement, the legislature will announce the presidential nominees on 31 January, with over 40 individuals competing for the post.
Since 2003, the position of parliament speaker is reserved for the Sunni Arabs while the Shias hold premiership and Kurds appoint the Iraqi president.
As for this year, the two major Kurdish parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which won 31 seats in the last Iraqi elections, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), that secured 17 seats, have their own candidates for the post of future Iraqi president.