BAGHDAD: Iraq´s parliament will meet on Tuesday to elect the country´s new president, who will then appoint a prime minister expected to be Nouri al-Maliki after he was endorsed by the largest bloc.
By convention, a Shia holds the post of prime minister, the parliament speaker is Sunni and the largely ceremonial presidency goes to a Kurd.
Parliamentary speaker Haibat al-Halbussi announced on Sunday that the new parliament will convene on Tuesday to elect a president, according to the official INA press agency.
The president will then have 15 days to appoint a prime minister, who is usually nominated by the largest Shia bloc formed through post-election alliances.
On Saturday, the Coordination Framework alliance -- whose factions have varying links to Iran -- endorsed former prime minister and powerbroker Maliki as the country´s next premier.
The alliance, to which Maliki belongs, spoke of his “political and administrative experience and his record in running the state”.
Kurdish parties have yet to agree on a presidential candidate, who must be endorsed by other blocs and win a two-thirds majority in parliament.
The presidency is usually held by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). This year, the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) named its own candidate: Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.
