Iraq Press Roundup

Election results expected Thursday

Officials with the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq said the final results for the provincial elections will be announced Thursday, al-Saabah al-Jadeed reported Wednesday.

Faraj al-Haidari, the top official with IHEC, said the Thursday announcement was in line with initial expectations. Early reports suggested the official results would not be released until as late as Feb. 23.

Following the announcement of the official results, the provincial councils will have 30 days to appoint governors and two deputies in 14 of the 18 provinces.

IHEC officials said the most senior member of each council would head the first provincial sessions in order to choose a president and deputy.

Sunnis will acquiesce on speaker position

A spokesman for the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front said the party would respect the will of the Iraqi Parliament if it did not appoint its candidate to the position of speaker, al-Taakhi reported Wednesday.

Iraqi lawmakers ended their Wednesday session by pitting Iyad al-Samarrai with the Iraqi Islamic Party against a rival candidate in a runoff.

Salim al-Jibouri, a spokesman for the IAF, of which the Islamic Party is a member, said if lawmakers choose a different candidate than theirs, they will accept that decision.

Several lawmakers have stated their opposition to the IAF candidate, though Jibouri said it was likely their nominee would get the votes needed in the Thursday session.

Iraq has been without a speaker since Mahmoud Mashhadani with the IAF stepped down in December. An unwritten agreement calls for the position to be filled by a Sunni.

Jibouri said some rival lawmakers may pull out of the government as political wrangling over the position of speaker intensifies.

The spokesman cautioned, however, that if lawmakers withdrew, they would be doing so only in accordance with their personal interests.

Shiite bloc backs Sunni independent

The Shiite United Iraqi Alliance is backing independent Sunni Hachem al-Hasani for the position of speaker of Parliament, al-Iraqi lil-Kul reported Wednesday.

Iraqi lawmakers are at odds over the candidacy of Iyad al-Samarrai with the Iraqi Islamic Party, a component of the Accordance Front.

Ali al-Alaaq with the UIA said his party will not back Samarrai despite moderate support for the candidate from the Shiite and Kurdish blocs in the Parliament.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi National List of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi pulled out of the Wednesday session over disputes over the speaker position.

Jalal al-Bateekh with the National List said his party decided to withdraw after sensing sectarian tensions erupting among the members of Parliament.

Mahmoud Mashhadani stepped down from the position of speaker in December, leaving the Iraqi Parliament effectively stalled on several matters, including a budget.

Lawmakers are expected to vote on the matter Thursday.

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(Edited by Daniel Graeber)