Baghdad, July 1 (IANS) Iraq’s newly-elected parliament failed Tuesday to agree on electing a new speaker and two deputies.
The acting speaker had to adjourn the session after many lawmakers walked out of the house, Xinhua reported.
The next session will be held in a week if there is an agreement amongst the political blocs, said Mahdi al-Hafidh, a senior lawmaker who chaired the first session of the new parliament.
Many of the 255 lawmaker who attended the opening session simply walked out after a recess suggested for more talks between the political rivals, creating a shortage of the quorum required for the session.
Earlier in the day, the lawmakers convened in the first parliament session and the lawmakers took their oath of office in languages of their own ethnicity.
Al-Hafidh told the lawmakers in the opening session that the “latest security setback must be brought to an end, and security and stability must be regained all over the country so that the country can go in the right path to the future”.
He also urged unity among all Iraqis, despite their sects and races, saying for that to happen, respect for all, and the adoption of professional criteria in building institutions are needed.
According to the Iraqi constitution, a new president should be chosen within the next 30 days after the election of the speaker and two deputies.
Following that, the new head of state will have half month’s time to ask the bloc with the most lawmakers to nominate a prime minister, who will be responsible for forming a new government.
The duration for a prime minister-designate to select his cabinet members, and present the list to the parliament is 30 days.
With the country’s ever deepening security crisis, a new unity government is now considered vital for Iraq to counter the Sunni insurgency that threatens to split the country apart.
On June 10, Sunni militant groups, including those who are linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), an Al Qaeda offshoot, quickly took over key cities of Mosul and Tikrit, as well as other northern and western parts of Sunni heartland as the Iraqi security forces were driven into disarray when waves of surprise attacks were mounted against them.