Iraq court rebuffs parliament by closing door to new presidential candidates

Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that parliament's decision to reopen nominations for the presidency is unconstitutional, as the country's months-old political deadlock continues.

The court's session reviewed the Iraqi parliament's decision to reopen registrations for presidential candidates after the legislator failed to meet the quorum - two-thirds of lawmakers - needed to choose a new president.

A consensus between rival factions is deemed crucial before any president is elected, in a country where political and sectarian divisions run deep.

Under Iraq’s power-sharing system since 2005, the president - whose powers are limited - is from the Kurdish community, while the speaker is a Sunni Muslim, and the prime minister is a Shia Muslim.

Speaker Mohamed Al-Halbousi said Monday that the upcoming parliamentary session would be to elect a new president and new parliamentary committees.

This session has been barred after Tuesday's court decision.

The parliament had reopened the door for presidential candidate nominations on 8 February, after the first nomination was put forward on 9 January. A week ago, the parliament released a list of 33 presidential candidates.

A lack of consensus and ongoing bickering has derailed the agreement to select a new head of state.

Pro-Iran parties have also challenged last year's parliamentary elections which saw its bloc lose heavily.