The Iraqi parliament on Saturday elected Kurdish politician Nizar Amedi as the country's new president, following a parliamentary election last November.
Amedi, 58, is a former environment minister and has headed the political office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Baghdad since 2024.
He was elected after securing a majority in the second round of parliamentary voting, having fallen short of the required two-thirds majority in the first round.
In the runoff, Amedi won 227 votes against 15 for his opponent, Muthanna Amin, with seven invalid ballots. Following the official announcement, he was invited to take the constitutional oath in parliament.
Under Iraq’s constitution, a candidate must secure a two-thirds majority (220 out of 329 lawmakers) in the first round.
If this threshold is not met, the election proceeds to a second round between the top two candidates, where a simple majority is sufficient.
The vote came after the session had been postponed twice earlier this year due to disagreements between the two main Kurdish parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the PUK, over the presidency.
Standing amidst the shattered concrete, twisted reinforcing bars...
SpaceX stopped the launch of its 12th Starship rocket from Texas on Thursday and said it will attempt the high-stakes test flight again on Friday, ...
U.S. President Donald Trump surprised NATO allies by announcing plans to deploy an additional 5,000 American tr...
The U.S. has arrested Adys Lastres Morera, the sister of the head of GAESA, a military-run business group which owns ...
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 22nd May, covering the latest ...
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has urged Iraq’s prime minister-designate to form a government which reflects the country’s religious and ethnic diversity.
An American female journalist was kidnapped in Baghdad on Tuesday and authorities are searching the city for her, two police officials said.
Turkish military personnel participating in NATO’s mission in Iraq have been “successfully” withdrawn from the country, the Turkish Defence Ministry announced on Thursday.
China has announced it will provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, as a widening conflict in the Middle East drives increasing civilian suffering and displacement across the region.
Asian stocks surged on Thursday as some vessels resumed passage through the Strait of Hormuz, while forecast-beating results at Nvidia and a suspended workers' strike at Samsung Electronics lifted shares of chipmakers.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said Belarus will not be dragged into the war in Ukraine, while also stressing that Minsk and Moscow would jointly respond to any aggression against them.
The penultimate day of the World Urban Forum 13 in Baku will see Azerbaijan's Pavilion highlight post-construction efforts in Garabagh and East Zangezur, as well as host events on the future of Baku and architectural education.
South Korea’s Samsung Electronics is facing its largest potential labour action in years, with tens of thousands of workers preparing for a prolonged strike over bonuses and profit-sharing at a time when the company is benefiting from a global artificial intelligence (AI) driven chip boom.
Lithuania on Wednesday issued an “air danger” warning urging residents to seek shelter and temporarily suspended operations at the capital’s airport amid fears that drones had entered the country’s airspace, as tensions between Russia and the Baltic states continue to escalate.
A 13-year-old boy was killed in northern Gaza on Thursday (21 May) after an Israeli drone strike hit the town of Beit Lahiya, according to local health officials, as residents reported a renewed increase in Israeli evacuation warnings ahead of attacks.
Azerbaijan is stepping up efforts to strengthen its position as a regional hub for investment and connectivity ahead of the second Azerbaijan International Investment Forum in Baku this September.
Iran and Pakistan discussed developments in stalled Iran-U.S. negotiations during a visit to Tehran by Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsen Raza Naqvi, amid Islamabad’s ongoing mediation efforts.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday (21 May), with both leaders discussing bilateral ties, regional developments and ongoing peace efforts in the South Caucasus.
Georgia’s parliament speaker has accused Britain of “blatant hypocrisy” after London quietly allowed Russian-origin oil products into the country - a move UK officials had reportedly urged Tbilisi to avoid.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment