Baghdad: The Iraqi Council of Representatives elected Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani as the new parliament speaker on Thursday, succeeding Mohammad Al-Halbousi. This decision comes after a year of political stalemate, following a judicial verdict that questioned the legitimacy of Al-Halbousi's election. According to Kuwait News Agency, the parliament session was presided over by Acting Speaker Mohsen Al-Mandalawi. The election process involved two rounds of voting. In the first round, Al-Mashhadani secured 153 votes, while his closest competitor, Salem Al-Eisawi, garnered 95 votes. Amer Abdul-Jabbar received nine votes, and 14 votes were deemed invalid. The subsequent run-off solidified Al-Mashhadani's position as he received 140 votes, significantly outpacing Al-Eisawi, who obtained 34 votes. The election was necessitated after the Federal Supreme Court, last November, ruled against the legitimacy of the former speaker's election, preventing him from completing his term.
