New Iraqi parliament holds first session, elects speaker

Haybat al-Halbousi, from the Taqaddum (Progress) Party, has been elected as speaker of the new parliament.Published On 29 Dec 2025Iraq’s ‍newly ‍elected parliament has chosen Haybat al-Halbousi as its speaker, a significant step in the formation of the new government after months of political turmoil.Iraqi media reported on Monday, citing parliament’s media office, that al-Halbousi, from the Taqaddum (Progress) Party, had received 208 votes, in a clear victory over two rival contenders with 66 and nine votes, respectively.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Iraqis hold little hope for change as polls close in electionlist 2 of 4Iraqi PM al-Sudani’s coalition comes first in parliamentary electionlist 3 of 4Is the US making a great gamble to reshape Iraq?list 4 of 4Who really won Iraq’s elections?end of listAl-Halbousi’s party draws its support largely from Sunni heartlands in the west and north of the country.Iraqis have been eagerly awaiting the first sitting of parliament, called the Council of Representatives of Iraq, as they look for certainty over the leadership of the country following the November 11 vote, which left a complicated outlook for the formation of the new government.Under Iraq’s customary muhasasa system, in place since the first government under the post-2003 constitution, parliament is to elect a speaker – a consensus Sunni candidate – along with two deputies during its first session.Following that is the vote for the presidency, a Kurdish candidate, according to muhasasa. The president then nominates the candidate of the largest Shia bloc – the Shia Coordination Framework (SCF) – to be named prime minister.Complicated pictureBefore the election, Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zaidan urged lawmakers to stick to the constitutional timeline for government formation – a maximum of 90 days – and the Federal Supreme Court (FSC) ratified the results faster than usual.