On Tuesday, Iraq’s Supreme Federal Court ruled that no more candidates for president can be nominated.
The decision comes as MPs failed to meet the deadline to elect the new President of the Republic.
Months after the national election in October, the formation of the government in Iraq has stalled amid deepening political deadlock.
A move to introduce new candidates to the race would be “unconstitutional,” the court said.
The legislative body approved a list of 25 candidates for the presidency last month, which also included current President Barham Salih.
Although it was supposed to vote on the names on February 7, the bigger political parties boycotted the session due to divisions on the nominees.
Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al Halbousi reopened registration for candidacy the following day.
In its ruling, the court stated that “there is no provision in the constitution which gives the Parliament’s presidency the right to reopen nomination of the president post.”
It is allowed to reopen registration only after a decision is approved inside the Parliament.
The role of president needs to be filled as one of the constitutionally mandated steps for the formation of a new government, even though the position is largely ceremonial.
