Iraq’s parliament on Monday elected Haibet Al-Halbousi as its new speaker after overnight negotiations broke a prolonged political deadlock.

Al-Halbousi secured 208 votes out of 309 lawmakers present at the session, while 20 legislators were absent. He is a member of the Takadum (Progress) party, led by former speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, who is also a relative.

The vote comes as Iraq seeks to balance relations with the United States and neighboring Iran amid rising regional tensions. Parliamentary elections held in November failed to produce a clear majority bloc, prolonging negotiations over key leadership posts. Under Iraq’s power-sharing convention, the presidency is held by a Kurd, the prime ministership by a Shiite, and the speakership by a Sunni.

One of the new speaker’s immediate challenges will be addressing a controversial bill that would formalize the Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Units—an umbrella organization of mostly Iran-backed Shiite militias—as an official state security institution. Iran-aligned armed groups have continued to expand their political influence within Iraq.

Al-Halbousi is also expected to confront Iraq’s mounting public debt, estimated at tens of billions of dollars, alongside entrenched corruption.

In a related development, Babel Governor Adnan Feyhan was elected first deputy speaker with 177 votes. Feyhan’s appointment may raise concerns in Washington, as he is affiliated with Asaib Ahl al-Haq (the League of the Righteous), a U.S.-sanctioned, Iran-backed Shiite group led by Qais al-Khazali, who is also sanctioned by the United States.