Presidential Nominees in Iraq

2026-01-04 08:03:50

Monday is the final deadline for registering the names of candidates for the position of President of Iraq. So far, among the Kurds, those who have declared their candidacy include (Aso Faridun, Shwan Dawudi, Musana Amin, Hussein Sinjari, Latif Rashid…). It is expected that by Monday, a number of other political figures will also declare their candidacy for this post.

Opposition Parties:

The opposition parties (Halwest, Yekgirtu, Komal, and possibly New Generation as well) are expected to nominate a candidate for the position of President of Iraq. The decision is that Dr. Musana Amin, a Yekgirtu MP, will be the opposition’s candidate.

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK):

So far, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan has not officially announced its candidate. Although the name of Nizar Amidi, a member of the PUK Political Bureau and former secretary to Jalal Talabani, has been mentioned as the official PUK candidate, discussions behind the scenes suggest that Bafel Talabani, the PUK president, is expected to become the candidate. According to follow-ups, Bafel Talabani meets the conditions, as he was born in 1973 in the house of Ibrahim Ahmad in Baghdad, is over 40 years old, and holds a bachelor’s degree.

Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP):

So far, the Kurdistan Democratic Party has not officially announced its candidate. Although in the previous two rounds, the KDP had candidates for the position of President of Iraq:

In 2018, the KDP nominated Dr. Fuad Hussein against Barham Salih, but he was not elected.
In 2022, the KDP nominated Hoshyar Zebari, but he was excluded; afterward, Rebar Ahmed was nominated and later withdrew.

Therefore, during the third round of electing the second deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Bafel Talabani announced to the KDP delegation that they would vote for the KDP’s candidate. It is unclear whether this PUK position was part of an agreement in exchange for the presidency or merely a unilateral stance. However, it is not expected that the presidency would easily be handed to the PUK unless there is an agreement on giving the presidency to the PUK and the PUK agrees to the formation of a new Kurdistan Regional Government cabinet in the manner desired by the KDP.

On the 29th of last month, Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, announced his conditions for the position of President of Iraq, stating that Kurdish parties must reach a unified position on the post and that it should not be decided unilaterally by any one party.

Independents:

So far, a large number of individuals have officially registered their names as independent candidates for the position of President of Iraq, unaffiliated with any political party, including Shwan Dawudi, Aso Faridun, Latif Rashid, Hussein Sinjari…

The position of President of Iraq, as a political convention, goes to the Kurdish component, similar to the position of Speaker of Parliament going to the Sunnis and the position of Prime Minister going to the Shiites.

Conditions for Presidential Nomination According to Law No. (8) of 2012:

Must be born in Iraq to an Iraqi father and mother.
Must be mentally sound and at least 40 years old.
Must have a good reputation and political experience, be honest, clean-handed, just, and loyal to the homeland.
Must not have an educational level lower than a university bachelor’s degree, and the degree must be recognized by the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
Must not have been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude.
Must not be subject to procedures of accountability and justice, or any other similar legal procedures.

Election of the President:

After the first session and the election of the parliamentary leadership, the Council of Representatives of Iraq must, within (30 days), elect a new President by a two-thirds majority, meaning 220 votes. out of the total (329 seats), in accordance with Article (72) of the Constitution.

If, in the first round of voting, none of the presidential candidates obtains a two-thirds majority, then according to Article (70) of the Constitution, in the second round the candidate who receives the highest number of votes will become President.