Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has congratulate Abdullatif Rashid on his election as a new president of Iraq following a run-off vote earlier today, Thursday.
“I am pleased to congratulate my brother, His Excellency President Dr. Abdul Latif Rashid on his election as President of the sisterly Republic of Iraq, wishing him continued success and success in performing his duties, asking God to bring progress and prosperity to his people and dear country under his leadership,” Villa Somalia said in a statement.
Iraqi lawmakers on Thursday elected Rashid as the new president, marking a crucial step toward forming a new government for the country and ending a year of political deadlock.
After the parliament session, Rashid tasked al-Sudani with forming a new government as al-Sudani was nominated by the Coordination Framework (CF), the largest parliamentary alliance and an umbrella group of Shiite parliamentary parties.
Rashid’s election as president came as political tensions have been rising in the past months between the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s Sadrist Movement, the biggest winner in the parliamentary elections in 2021, and its rivals in the CF alliance.
Al-Sadr demanded to dissolve parliament and hold early elections, but it was rejected by the CF parties, which became the largest bloc after al-Sadr ordered his followers to withdraw from the parliament in June.
