Iran-aligned parliamentarians boycotted the vote, which would have threatened to exclude pro-Tehran factions from power for the first time in years if passed, under Moqtada al-Sadr's platform against Iranian influence
Iraq's parliament has failed again to vote for a president after Iran-backed groups boycotted the session, in a setback to an alliance led by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr .
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq s parliament cancelled the vote for a new head of state on Monday as it lacked the quorum to hold a session, three lawmakers said, a move that prolongs a political standoff. Only 58 members out of 329 were present on Monday, which is less than the necessary two-thirds quorum needed to chose a new president for the mostly ceremonial post. On Sunday many lawmakers said they would boycott the proceedings after the Supreme Court suspended a former foreign minister s presidential bid over graft allegations. The court said on Sunday that the candidacy of Hoshyar Zebari, a Western-friendly veteran Iraqi Kurdish statesman, could not proceed until corruption charges from a separate 2016 stint as finance minister were dealt with. Zebari said on Sunday that he respected the court decision and denied the allegations. The majority of the political parties boycotted today’s session due to the lack of a political agreement over the president post, Sunni lawmaker Mishaan Jab