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Iraq's president rethinks re-election bid — media

The head of state has not yet officially commented on this information

CAIRO, January 26. /TASS/. Iraqi President Abdel Latif Rashid has withdrawn his candidacy from the January 27 elections to parliament, the Council of Representatives, Shafaq News information portal said.

He pulled out "less than a day before the start of voting," a source points out. There is no information about his motives. The head of state has not yet officially commented on this information.

This leaves 18 candidates to compete for the presidential post, including current Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, supported by the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Voting will take place on Tuesday, according to Speaker of the Council of Representatives Haibat al-Halbousi. Shafaq News sources doubt that the president will be elected in the first round - according to their estimates, "none of the candidates will probably be able to get the necessary number of votes to win, so parliamentarians will have to hold a second round."

At the end of 2025, the Iraqi parliament elected al-Halbousi as its chairman. According to the country's constitution, deputies will have to choose a president over the next 30 days, he must instruct the largest coalition to propose a candidate for prime minister. On January 24, the Coordinating Council, which unites representatives of the majority of Shiite blocs and parties, officially announced the nomination of Nouri al-Maliki, who previously served as prime minister from May 2006 to August 2014, as a candidate for the post of head of the country's new government.

Under the Iraqi constitution, a Kurd should hold the post of president, a Shiite the post of prime minister, and a Sunni should head parliament.

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