Halbusi seeks to nominate new speaker candidate

The election of a new speaker of parliament remains at a standstill as parliament contemplates amendments to its bylaws that would allow new candidates to enter the race.

The Coordination Framework’s reluctance to openly endorse Salim Al-Eisawi’s bid for the speakership has led to further delays to a re-run of the speaker vote.

Mohammed Al-Halbusi's preferred candidate, Shalan Al-Krayim, secured the most votes during the January ballot but not enough to secure a majority. His candidacy then fell apart after a video surfaced showing him praising Saddam and the Baath Party, making it difficult for Shia parties to support him in a second-round vote.

It is not clear who Halbusi intends to choose to replace Krayim, but he needs to first overcome a legal obstacle. Parliamentary rules currently do not allow new candidates to be nominated once the first round of voting begins. On Sunday, Halbusi’s party submitted a request to parliament requesting that Article 12 of the internal bylaws be amended to allow new nominees to be put forward in the event that none of the existing candidates get a majority. The request was signed by nearly 100 MPs including many Shia MPs aligned to the Coordination Framework.