Kurdish leader Amedi elected as new president of Iraq

Iraq's parliament has elected Nizar Amedi as the country's new president. He won in the second round of voting on Saturday, April 11, securing 227 votes, ending a long period of political deadlock.

Amedi, the candidate nominated by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), defeated independent candidate Muthana Amin Nader, who received only 15 votes.

Amedi becomes the sixth president of Iraq since Saddam Hussein was ousted in the US-led invasion of 2003.

In his speech to parliament after the election, he said he was aware of the challenges facing the country and would work in coordination with the three branches of government. He also pledged to remain committed to the 'Iraq First' policy and condemned the attacks carried out in Iraq during the Iran-US conflict.

Following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, Iran retaliated by hitting US bases. Subsequently, Iran-backed armed groups attacked US bases and diplomatic facilities in Iraq, resulting in the deaths of several Iraqi soldiers.

With the presidential election concluded, attention now turns to the process of selecting a prime minister, which is considered a more complex and politically significant step.

Since 2003, Iraq has operated under a constitutional power-sharing system, where the prime minister is a Shia Muslim, the parliament speaker is a Sunni, and the president is a Kurd.

Nearly 150 days have passed since the November election, but a new government has yet to be formed. Under the constitution, President Amedi now has 15 days to task the nominee of the largest coalition with forming a government. That nominee will then have 30 days to form a cabinet.

Nizar Amedi, 58, has been active in Iraqi politics for a long time. He served as senior assistant to two former presidents and was environment minister from 2022 to 2024.