Supreme Judicial Council Outlines Constitutional Timetable for Forming Iraq’s New Government

Peregraf - The Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq has published the constitutional timelines governing the election of parliamentary presidencies and the formation of the next Iraqi government, following the ratification of the 2025 parliamentary election results.

According to the announced schedule, starting from the date the election results were ratified on December 14, 2025, the Council of Representatives must elect the Speaker of Parliament and his two deputies within 15 days. From the date of electing the Speaker and deputies, parliament then has 30 days to elect the President of the Republic.

Once the President is elected, the constitution mandates that the President task a prime ministerial nominee with forming the government within 15 days. From the date of this tasking, the designated prime minister will have up to 90 days to secure parliamentary approval for the new cabinet.

Earlier on Sunday, December 14, 2025, the Federal Supreme Court officially ratified the final election results, triggering the next constitutional steps. Under the constitution, the President of the Republic is required to call the first session of the new parliament within 15 days of ratification, by December 29.

The inaugural parliamentary session will be chaired by the oldest member, during which lawmakers will take the constitutional oath. In the same session, parliament will elect the Speaker and two deputies by an absolute majority vote (50 percent plus one). The position of Speaker is traditionally allocated to the Sunni component, with winning Sunni factions currently holding consultations within a political council to agree on a consensus candidate.

Within 30 days of the first session, parliament must elect a new President of the Republic by a two-thirds majority, requiring 220 votes out of the 329-member Council of Representatives. The newly elected president will then task the largest parliamentary bloc—widely expected to be the Shia Coordination Framework—with forming the new government within 15 days. The designated prime minister will be required to form and present the cabinet to parliament for a confidence vote within the constitutionally defined period.

According to the final results, the Construction and Development Coalition, led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, came first with 46 seats. It was followed by the State of Law Coalition led by Nouri al-Maliki with 29 seats, Taqaddum with 27 seats, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) with 27 seats, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with 18 seats. National voter turnout reached 56.11 percent.

Following the court’s ratification, the Coordination Framework announced that it had formed the largest parliamentary bloc. In a meeting attended by all major leaders of the bloc, including Prime Minister al-Sudani, participants confirmed their intention to move forward with nominating the next prime minister, emphasizing national cooperation and strict adherence to constitutional timelines to ensure a smooth transfer of power.