Iraq's parliament on Saturday postponed once again a session to elect the country's new president over a lack of quorum.
Only 202 of the chamber's 329 members showed up for the vote, a parliamentary official told AFP on condition of anonymity, and due to the lack of quorum a new session was scheduled for Wednesday.
Parliament had issued a final list of 40 candidates for the post, a largely ceremonial role reserved for the Kurds.
The contest pits Barham Salih, the incumbent and member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, against Rebar Ahmed of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the PUK's rival.
Lack of a quorum – two-thirds of the house's 329 members – and legal issues have held up the vote, deepening war-scarred Iraq's political uncertainty.
The president has to name a prime minister, who must be backed by the largest bloc in parliament.
On February 13, Iraq's supreme court ruled out a presidential bid by KDP-backed veteran politician Hoshyar Zebari, after a complaint filed against him over years-old, untried corruption charges.
Iraqi politics were thrown into turmoil following last October's general elections, which were marred by record-low turnout, post-vote threats and violence, and a delay of several months until the final results were confirmed.
Intense negotiations among political groups have since failed to form a majority parliamentary coalition to agree on a new prime minister to succeed Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
The largest political bloc, led by firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, had backed Zebari for the presidency and has now thrown its weight behind Ahmed.
A first vote in parliament on February 7 failed to materialise as it was widely boycotted amid the Zebari legal wrangle.
Saturday's session risked underscoring the sharp divide in Iraqi politics between Sadr, the general election's big winner, and the powerful Coordination Framework, which has called for a boycott.
The Coordination Framework includes the pro-Iran Fatah Alliance – the political arm of the Shiite-led former paramilitary group Hashed al-Shaabi.
With the support of Sunni and Kurdish parties, Sadr wants the post of prime minister to go to his cousin Jaafar Sadr, Iraq's ambassador to Britain, once the question of the four-year presidency has been settled.
The presidential candidate with the most votes would run uncontested in a second-round ballot but would again need to secure a two-thirds majority in parliament.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
