Iraq elects ‘pro-Iran’ Speaker

Baghdad, September 15 

The Iraqi parliament elected the candidate of a pro-Iran list as speaker on Saturday, paving the way for the formation of a government more than four months after legislative polls.

The country has been in political paralysis since the May 12 ballot, but the election of a speaker is expected to solidify new parliamentary alliances. The lists elected during legislative polls must first form coalitions. The bloc with the most members appoints the PM and presides over the formation of the next government.  The pro-Iran bloc led by Hadi al-Ameri’s Conquest Alliance — a coalition of anti-jihadist veterans close to Tehran — looked positioned to take the lead after the election of its candidate, Mohammed al-Halbusi. Born in 1981, he will be the youngest speaker of parliament in Iraq’s history.  — AFP