BAGHDAD -- Iraqi legislators have voted to set April 19 as the deadline to elect a new parliament speaker, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reports.
Acting speaker Khalid al-Attia told the lawmakers that nominees for the post can submit their names to the presidium for consideration.
At a heated session on April 17, Sadrist bloc leader Bahaa al-Araji objected that a vote to elect the new speaker would be taken while the Constitutional Court is still considering a legal action filed by Accordance Front candidate Ayad al-Samarraei, who in the last round of voting on February 19 won a majority of votes but was two votes short of the number needed for election.
Accordance Front spokesman Salim al-Jaburi told parliament that al-Samarraei will drop his case if a consensus candidate is elected on April 19.