Fuad Masum: New President of Iraq

July 24, 2014

The Council of Representatives of Iraq (Iraqi Parliament) in Baghdad elected Muhammad Fuad Masum of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party as the seventh President of Iraq. He got 211 votes in his favor and 17 votes against.
Masum is the second non-Arab President of Iraq after Jalal Talabani who founded the PUK party and is the current President of Iraq. He had been almost guaranteed the job after Kurdish parties struck a late-night deal to support him. Under an unofficial power-sharing deal, Iraq’s Kurds traditionally get the post of president.
Iraq is at present facing an existential threat, which can be overcome by formation of a fully inclusive government and the move could pave the way for a deal on the much more powerful post of prime minister. The president has got 14 days to nominate the PM candidate of the largest bloc in parliament.

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