Parliament reaches another impasse over speaker election

The failure to elect a new speaker of parliament during last Saturday's session has extended the ongoing deadlock indefinitely.

The close outcome of Saturday’s vote between Salim Al-Eisawi and Mahmud Al-Mashhadani has left little enthusiasm for a third round of voting. Eisawi secured 158 votes, just 7 votes shy of the absolute majority needed to secure the speakership. However, Mashhadani performed far better than expected with 137 votes, owing to Shia support not just from Maliki’s State of Law, but also from other factions within the Coordination Framework.