Missiles hit today, Thursday Baghdad Green Beltas a result of which ten people were injured, at a time when Parliament was about to elect a new President of the Republic and remove Iraq from deep political stalemate and successive violent episodes.

As 277 out of 329 MPs took seats in parliament, the required quorum was reached and the first vote could be held, which was won by 78-year-old former minister Abdel Latif Rashid. But no candidate received the 220 votes needed to elect the president in the first round. A new round will follow with the top two candidates.

At the same time, in a sign of ongoing tensions in a deeply politically polarized country, nine rockets landed in the Green Zone, which houses the parliament, other government buildings and several embassies. According to an AFP correspondent, one of the rockets fell near the parliament, several explosions were heard. So far, no organization has claimed responsibility.

Ten people were injured, six of whom are law enforcement officers or bodyguards of parliamentarians, according to a source close to the security services. Four civilians were injured by a rocket that fell in a nearby area. “Such attacks undermine democracy and trap Iraq in endless violence,” said US Ambassador to Baghdad Alina L. Romanowski.

After the elections on October 10, 2021, the parties did not agree among themselves on who would become the president of the country, and a new prime minister was not appointed. The UN mission in Iraq warned on Monday that the protracted crisis is fueling instability.

Three times this year, the parliament has unsuccessfully tried to elect a president, an honorary post traditionally always held by a member of the Kurdish minority. Usually, the president comes from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (UPK), while the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) has the primary say in running the affairs of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan. But the KDP was now also vying for the presidency.

Outgoing President Barham Saleh, the official candidate of the CPC, is running for re-election, but the party’s historic leader Rashid also ran at the last minute. The KDP (31 MPs) withdrew its candidate Rebar Ahmed and announced its support for Rashid.

The new president will be tasked with appointing a prime minister and launching difficult negotiations to form a government. The favorite for prime minister is 52-year-old Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, a former minister and candidate for the Cooperation Framework, the largest party in parliament. “But in Iraqi politics, everything can change until the last moment,” commented political analyst Hamzeh Haddad.

Over the summer, the candidacy of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani set fire to Iraq and sparked tensions between the Cooperation Framework and the Sadrist movement. Supporters of the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have been camping around the parliament building for months. But the Framework for Cooperation did not recede. This coalition, which includes former Hasd al-Shaabi paramilitaries and former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki – Sadr’s historical adversary – wants to form a government. Today it is the biggest force in parliament after the unexpected departure of 73 deputies of the Socialist current. Muqtada Sadr demands the dissolution of parliament and the appointment of new elections.

^{According to AFP, APE-MPE}