Iraqi parliament elects Abdul Latif Rashid as president
The Iraqi Council of Representatives elected Abdul Latif Rashid as President of the Republic on Thursday, after he received a majority of votes in the second round of voting in which he competed with candidate Barham Salih.
“Abdul Latif Rashid received 162 votes, while Saleh received 99, and 8 votes were considered invalid, out of the total number of voters of 269,” the parliamentary media department said in a statement.
After winning the post, Rashid was sworn in as Iraqi president.
Meanwhile, Rashid received many congratulations after winning the presidency. Barham Salih congratulated the former Iraqi president and wished him continued success.
Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi also congratulated, Abdul Latif Rashid, on his election as President of Iraq. He tweeted “We congratulate brother Dr. Abd Al-Latif Rashid on his election as President of Iraq, and we wish him success in his mission.. We call on all political forces to cooperate and provide him with support” he said in a tweet on his Twitter account.
Abdullatif Rashid is a leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), a former minister in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and a political adviser until he became president.
The struggle between the PUK and the KDP for the post of president, which according to political norms in Iraq is for the Kurds after 2003, compounded the political crisis and stalled its passage after the Council of Representatives failed more than once to hold a session to vote on the candidates.
