Presidential Election Shakes Up Iraqi Politics

17 Apr 2026 Issue: 69 / 16 By: Yesar Al-Maleki

The election of a new president has exposed rifts within Iraq’s Shia and Kurdish political camps, leaving Nouri al-Maliki’s hopes of becoming prime minister hanging by a thread while strengthening the position of incumbent PM Mohammed al-Sudani. The next two weeks are likely to prove turbulent.

Iraq’s parliament elected a new president on 11 April, triggering a 15-day countdown for the leading Shia blocs to nominate a prime minister by 26 April. It took five months to reach this point since November’s parliamentary elections, with the fraught process of forming a government exposing deep divisions within Iraqi politics. The US-Iran conflict has only exacerbated those rifts (MEES, 3 April).

The new president is Nizar Amedi, a former cabinet minister and long-standing member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). He was declared the winner after two rounds of voting – 208 votes in the first round from 252 MPs present and 227 votes in the second round. He previously served as environment minister under Prime Minister Sudani between 2022 and 2024. (CONTINUED - 1140 WORDS)