Session (17) First Term / First Year

The Council of Representatives held on (11/4/2026) its seventeenth session of the first legislative term of the first legislative year of the sixth electoral cycle, chaired by Speaker Haibat Al-Halbousi, with (252) MPs in attendance. The session included:

_ The Speaker announced receiving two requests from Messrs. Aso Faridoon and Dr. Abdullatif Jamal Rashid withdrawing their candidacy for the post of President of the Republic, noting that the number of candidates became 16.

_ In the first round, the balloting process registered 252 ballot papers matching the total number of attendees, and the votes were distributed among the candidates as follows: 208 votes for Mr. Nizar Mohammed Saeed Umedi, 17 votes for Mr. Muthanna Amin, 16 votes for Mr. Fuad Hussein, and two votes for candidate Abdullah Al-Alyawi, while invalid papers amounted to 9.

_ The Speaker called for proceeding to a second round of balloting since none of the candidates obtained the votes of two-thirds of the Council's members, noting that competition in the second round was limited to the candidates who obtained the highest votes in the first round.

_ The second round, in which 249 MPs participated, resulted in Mr. Nizar Mohammed Saeed obtaining 227 votes while candidate Muthanna Amin obtained 15 votes, with only 7 invalid papers.

_ Speaker Haibat Al-Halbousi, in completion of the constitutional entitlements, announced the election of Nizar Mohammed Saeed as President of the Republic of Iraq, praising the role of the MPs who attended the session for shouldering their legal, constitutional and legitimate responsibility to steer the country to safety, and calling on the largest parliamentary bloc to present its candidate for the post of Prime Minister within 15 days — specifically calling on the Coordination Framework bloc to expedite presenting its candidate to His Excellency the President.

_ The Speaker called for naming two Vice Presidents of the Republic, expressing his thanks to the President of the Supreme Judicial Council for his efforts in completing the constitutional entitlements.

_ Mr. Nizar Mohammed Saeed took the constitutional oath before the members of the Council of Representatives after being elected President of the Republic.

_ His Excellency President Nizar Mohammed Saeed delivered a speech expressing his abundant thanks and appreciation to the Council of Representatives for entrusting him with a responsibility he considered a great trust and a major national duty, pledging to do all that is required to perform his duties with honesty and sincerity as a representative of the Iraqi people with all its components. He expressed his appreciation of the magnitude of the challenges facing Iraq and the dangers of war and its repercussions sweeping the region, which requires greater wisdom in decision-making, affirming his commitment to working with the executive, legislative and judicial authorities and all national forces to preserve the national decision for our country's sovereignty and to strengthen its security and stability — to protect our country and achieve peace in a manner that contributes to the region's stability and spares it the dangers of war. He remembered Iraq's martyrs who sacrificed their pure blood, offered condolences to their families, and wished mercy for the martyrs and a speedy recovery for the wounded.

_ The President condemned in the strongest terms the attacks targeting Iraq and infringing on its sovereignty, declaring his defense of our people's interests and his commitment to presenting national and strategic draft laws related to citizens' lives, safeguarding the supreme national interests, and consolidating international relations according to the principle of Iraq First.

The session was then adjourned.