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Iraq's Parliament elects a new speaker to end a nearly yearlong vacuum

BAGHDAD (AP) — After a nearly yearlong vacuum, Iraq’s Parliament elected a new speaker Thursday, selecting a prominent Sunni lawmaker who has a close relationship with Iran.

Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who served a previous stint as speaker from 2006 to 2009, was elected by a vote of 182 of the 269 legislators who attended the session, a surprise move after months of deadlock between political factions.

Former Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi was dismissed by a Federal Supreme Court last November against the backdrop of a lawsuit filed by then-lawmaker Laith al-Dulaimi.

Dulaimi claimed that the speaker had forged Dulaimi’s signature on a resignation letter, an allegation that Halbousi denied.

The court ruled to terminate both Halbousi and al-Dulaimi from their parliamentary posts. It did not elaborate on why it was issuing the decision.

The position of speaker of Parliament is assigned to a Sunni according to convention in Iraq’s power-sharing system, while the prime minister is always Shiite and the president is a Kurd.

The speaker plays an important role in serving as an intermediary between the various political blocs and will be key to the government’s efforts to achieve economic reforms and reduce internal tensions.

The election of a new parliament speaker comes at a time when Iraq is facing major challenges - chief among them, attempting to navigate the repercussions of the wars in the Middle East and to balance its relationship with Iran and the United States, which are backing opposing parties in the regional conflict.

Iran-aligned political blocs and militias have significant power in Iraq. The militias have regularly launched drone attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for Washington’s support for Israel in its wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. In recent months they have also targeted sites in Israel directly.

At the same time, Iraq’s government has sought to avoid alienating the U.S., upon which it has relied for economic and military support, including in the fight against the Islamic State militant group.

The country also faces rampant corruption and internal divisions. Legislators from the pro-Iranian Shiite political bloc and from the Sunni bloc close to former Speaker Halbousi reached a compromise on al-Mashhadani, apparently in hopes that he will be able to build a consensus across political blocs.

The new speaker will have to deal with some controversial legislation, notable a proposed amendment to Iraq’s personal status law governing family matters, which critics say would effectively legalize child marriage.