Parliament sets February 7 as date to elect new Iraqi President

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi parliament on Thursday announced it had set Feb. 7 for a special session to elect the country's new president.

The decision came during a meeting parliament speaker Mohamed al-Halbousi chaired with his deputies earlier in the day, a statement from the legislature said. The body would announce the presidential nominees on Jan. 31.

More than 40 individuals are reportedly vying for the presidency, currently held by Barham Salih.

According to the political custom followed throughout the previous sessions, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has held the position of President of the Republic since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.

In terms of numbers, the fact that the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) won 31 parliamentary seats in the recent legislative elections, compared to only 17 seats for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, may reverse the equation this time.

On Wednesday, anadvisor to KDP President Masoud Barzani said that the politburo member Hoshyar Zebari will be Iraqi's next president.

Read More: 'Hoshyar Zebari will be the next President of Iraq': KDP official