Iraqi Parliament Speaker Slates Next Presidential Vote For October 2 - Reports

Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohamed Halbusi said that the country's next presidential election will be held on October 2, Kurdish media reported on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th September, 2018) Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohamed Halbusi said that the country's next presidential election will be held on October 2, Kurdish media reported on Tuesday.

The election was originally scheduled for September 25, but was postponed over disagreements between the two leading Kurdish parties on the presidential candidates.

October 2 was chosen as the new date for the voting session, the Rudaw English news media outlet said.

The top competitors for the post, which is traditionally occupied by a Kurd, are reportedly Fuad Hussein from the Kurdistan Democratic Party and Barham Salih from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

Earlier this year, Iraq held its first parliamentary election since the defeat of the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia), with the Sairun Alliance, backed by prominent Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr, coming first with 54 seats in the 239-seat parliament. The Sairun Alliance is followed by the Conquest Alliance led by Hadi Amiri, with 48 seats, while Prime Minister Haider Abadi's Victory Alliance closes the top three list with 42 seats. The Kurdistan Democratic Party has 25 seats, while the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan has 18 mandates in the new parliament.