No Iraq group has the numbers to pull it off
The government needs to take more than half of the people's representatives into confidence
Dubai: According to the Iraqi constitution, a new president must enjoy the backing of two-third of parliamentarians, which adds up to 216 lawmakers. The new president then nominates the winner of the majority bloc to form the government.
The government on its part needs to take one more than half of the people's representatives into confidence. The required figure is 163 in this case. In case of failure, the president may invite the leader of the second biggest bloc to form the government.
"The process of electing a new president gives an indication about the strength of the political bloc that will form the government. The election of the president is the first political show of power. In the current parliament, the second in the history of Iraq since toppling of Saddam Hussain, there is no single bloc that could win 216 votes for naming the president, nor there is one bloc that has 163 seats needed for the endorsement of the government. The alliances that the bloc will be able to form during the consultations stage will be able to win the vote of endorsement at a later stage," Ebrahim Al Sumaida'i, a political analyst and expert on parliamentary issues, told Gulf News.
