During a ceremony to receive his duties, the new president of Iraq, Abdul Latif Rashid, emphasised his commitment to upholding the country’s sovereignty and constitution as well as his goal of “a strong, stable, and reunited Iraq.”
I will work to build good ties with the world community and my neighbours, he continued.
Today, Barham Saleh handed over the reins of power to President Abdul Latif Rashid at Baghdad’s Al Salam Palace.
After being elected as president by Parliament last Thursday, Rashid al-Yam al-Yamayn appointed Mohamed Shi’a Al-Sudani, the coordinating framework candidate, to create the new government.
Notably, Rashid received 162 votes to President Barham Saleh’s 99, plus 8 void votes, to be elected president of the country.
The Sadrist movement led by Muqtada al-Sadr and the so-called “coordination framework” (which includes the State of Law coalition led by Nuri al-Maliki, the Al-Fateh alliance, and other factions loyal to Iran) experienced a raging political crisis in Iraq that prevented the election of a president of the republic or the formation of a government.
A severe danger of escalation was made possible by the violent battles between the two sides in central Baghdad on August 29, 2022, which resulted in the deaths of 30 people.
Iraq’s next leader: “I will work to forge close ties with the region and the international community.”
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