The Iraqi parliament session on Saturday aimed at electing a new speaker was adjourned after a physical altercation broke out among members, halting the proceedings without a resolution. The post has been vacant for six months following the ousting of the previous speaker, Mohammed al-Halbousi, over allegations of document forgery.

Veteran Sunni politician Mahmoud al-Mashhadani and Sunni lawmaker Salem al-Issawi, leader of the Sunni Sovereignty bloc, were the primary candidates for the position. Despite a vote earlier in the day, neither candidate secured the necessary absolute majority.

The political landscape is further complicated by internal disagreements within the Sunni factions. On Monday, Taqadum, the largest Sunni bloc, endorsed Mashhadani. They asserted their right to the speaker’s position based on their legislative majority. However, the subsequent vote on Saturday afternoon failed to produce a winner, necessitating a third round of voting.

The parliamentary session resumed Saturday evening, but tensions escalated as Taqadum MPs protested, demanding a change in the bylaw to allow new candidates to be nominated. The ensuing disagreement led to a physical altercation among lawmakers. MP Nahro Mahmoud recounted the incident to Rudaw, noting that Taqadum’s demand triggered the confrontation.

During the brawl, Taqadum MP Haibat al-Halbousi sustained a head injury. As a result of the chaos, the session was adjourned without conducting the crucial third round of voting.

The speaker’s seat has been unoccupied since November when the Federal Supreme Court invalidated al-Halbousi’s membership and terminated his tenure. He was implicated in forging the resignation of another lawmaker by altering the date on the resignation document.

Earlier attempts to fill the position have been thwarted by political contention. In January, Taqadum nominated Shaalan al-Karim, but he withdrew three months later due to opposition from Shiite parliamentary blocs.

Iraq's sectarian power-sharing system mandates that the speaker be a Sunni, the prime minister a Shiite, and the president a Kurd. The Coordination Framework, the largest parliamentary bloc, has urged the Sunnis to resolve the speaker issue within a week.

As political divisions deepen, the deadlock over the speaker position underscores the ongoing challenges within Iraq’s legislative process and sectarian power dynamics. The parliament now faces increased pressure to reconvene and resolve the stalemate to restore functionality to its legislative operations.