Parliament elects new leadership in record time

Iraq’s parliament has cleared the first government formation milestone with unprecedented speed, electing a speaker and two deputy speakers in a process that, while at times was politically charged, avoided the prolonged paralysis that has characterized previous electoral cycles. The outcome reflects a convergence of judicial pressure, intra bloc bargaining, and an emerging commitment by the leading Shia forces to uphold an informal power sharing norm that prioritizes the autonomy of Sunni and Kurdish decision-making.

After a week of intensive negotiations, parliament elected Haybat Al-Halbusi as speaker, alongside Adnan Fayhan and Farhad Atrushi as first and second deputy speakers. The speed of the vote marks a clear departure from precedent. Since 2010, parliaments have repeatedly exploited a legal gray area by keeping the first session open for weeks or months to buy time for elite bargaining. That practice was effectively foreclosed this time after the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, Faiq Zaydan, made clear that delaying the election of parliament’s leadership was unconstitutional.