Iraq presidential vote in doubt after boycotts, candidate suspension

Gulf Today Report

A scheduled vote by Iraq's parliament to elect a new national president was thrown into doubt on Monday after key factions announced boycotts and a frontrunner was suspended by a court.

Supreme Court on Sunday suspended a former foreign minister's presidential bid over graft allegations and many lawmakers said they would boycott a vote for a new head of state, prolonging a political standoff.

The court said the candidacy of Hoshyar Zebari, a Western-friendly veteran Iraqi Kurdish statesman, could not proceed until corruption charges from a separate 2016 stint as finance minister were dealt with.

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A cancellation would be the latest chapter of political turmoil in the war-scarred country which, almost four months after a general election, still hasn't chosen a new prime minister.

The suspension of Zebari's presidential bid, one day before parliament was due to elect a new president.

Last week four parliamentarians filed a petition to the federal court demanding Zebari's exclusion from the presidential race, accusing him of financial and administrative corruption in 2016.