Kurdistan parties submit multiple candidates for Iraq presidency

ERBIL, Jan 5 (KUNA) -- Political parties in Iraq's Kurdistan submitted on Monday more than one candidate for the position of President of Iraq, as the nomination window closed.
In a statement, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) said Nizar Amedi is its sole and official nominee for the presidency.
Today marked the final day for registering candidates, with more than 40 individuals putting their names forward, including former PUK members and previous parliamentary deputies.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), for its part, nominated two candidates: Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and former Erbil governor Nawzad Hadi.
Among opposition parties, Islamic Union leader Muthanna Amin submitted his candidacy for the position.
Earlier in the day, Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi announced that the number of presidential candidates had risen to 44.
In a statement, Al-Halbousi said the nomination process would close at the end of official working hours on Monday.
Under Iraq's political custom established after 2003, the position of President of the Republic is allocated to the Kurds and is regarded as the highest sovereign post in the country, the term lasts four years and may be renewed once.
The developments follow the success of the Council of Representatives in electing its leadership for the sixth legislative term, which resulted in the election of Al-Halbousi as speaker, Adnan Faihan as first deputy speaker and Farhad Atrushi as second deputy speaker. (end) sbr.sar