Overview
- The parliamentary vote, held Saturday, gave Amidi 227 votes in a second round after he led with 208 in the first, breaking a five-month impasse on government formation.
- Under the constitution, Amidi now has 15 days to task the nominee of the largest bloc with forming a cabinet, and the Shiite Coordination Framework must decide whether to proceed with its earlier choice of Nouri al-Maliki.
- Iraq follows an informal power-sharing system in which a Kurd serves as president, a Shia holds the prime minister’s post, and a Sunni presides over parliament, and the presidency’s key duty is to launch cabinet formation.
- The vote comes as Iraq absorbs spillover from the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, with Iran-aligned militias attacking U.S. sites, U.S. and Israeli strikes killing some Iraqi personnel, and Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupting vital oil exports.
- Amidi, 58, is a senior PUK figure from Dohuk and a former environment minister who previously served as a close aide to ex-presidents Jalal Talabani and Fouad Massoum.