Iraq's parliament elected Farhad Al Atroushi as second deputy speaker in a third round of voting on Tuesday, after no candidate secured enough votes in the first two rounds a day earlier.
Mr Al Atroushi, a former governor of Duhok province in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region, was nominated for the post by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) after its initial candidate, Shakhawan Abdullah, failed to garner sufficient backing in the first two rounds.
MPs elected the Sunni politician Haibat Al Halbousi as Speaker on Monday, while Babil governor Adnan Feyhan, a member of the US-sanctioned and Iran-aligned Asaib Ahl Al Haq group, was elected first deputy speaker.
With all three posts filled, parliament on Tuesday opened a three-day window for political parties to submit their candidates for president.
Iraq's parliament has convened for the first time since the Federal Supreme Court ratified the results of the November 11 parliamentary elections, launching the often gruelling process of government formation.
By convention, the speaker’s position is held by a Sunni, while the first deputy is Shiite and the second Kurdish. The position of second deputy speaker has traditionally been held by the KDP.
Mr Abdullah, who held the post of second deputy speaker during the previous parliamentary term, trailed Rebwar Karim of the Kurdish opposition National Stance Movement in the first two rounds of voting.
Mr Karim received 153 votes in the first round, while Mr Abdullah secured 119. In the second round, they received 156 and 102 votes, respectively. A candidate must win at least 165 votes to be elected.
In last month's parliamentary elections, the KDP secured 27 seats while the National Stance Movement landed five.
Once all speaker positions are filled, parliament must elect the president within 30 days of its first session. The president, in turn, will nominate a prime minister, selected by the largest parliamentary bloc, who must form a cabinet within 15 days.
Iraq has frequently failed to meet these constitutional deadlines due to disputes among rival factions. The current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani assumed office a full year after the October 2021 elections.
