Iraq's parliament today reelected Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani as president despite a walkout by a Sunni-backed bloc.
Talabani was immediately sworn in. His election was part of a deal agreed by lawmakers to end an eight-month deadlock over who would lead the new government.
Talabani said he will ask incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to form the next government.
The parliament session then adjourned.
Maliki now has 30 days to form the government.
Lawmakers from the Sunni-backed Al-Iraqiyah alliance had demanded that before parliament vote on the president, it vote to formally end the de-Baathification program purging former members of Saddam Hussein's ruling party.
Their demand was rejected, and parliament continued in their absence.
Osama An-Najeifi of the Al-Iraqiyah alliance was elected speaker of parliament with 227 votes out of 325.
Al-Iraqiyah leader, former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, was expected to head a new council in charge of strategic policy.
A parliament vote on the government could still take several weeks, as the factions work out the details of who gets what posts.
compiled from agency reports
Talabani was immediately sworn in. His election was part of a deal agreed by lawmakers to end an eight-month deadlock over who would lead the new government.
Talabani said he will ask incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to form the next government.
The parliament session then adjourned.
Maliki now has 30 days to form the government.
Lawmakers from the Sunni-backed Al-Iraqiyah alliance had demanded that before parliament vote on the president, it vote to formally end the de-Baathification program purging former members of Saddam Hussein's ruling party.
Their demand was rejected, and parliament continued in their absence.
Osama An-Najeifi of the Al-Iraqiyah alliance was elected speaker of parliament with 227 votes out of 325.
Al-Iraqiyah leader, former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, was expected to head a new council in charge of strategic policy.
A parliament vote on the government could still take several weeks, as the factions work out the details of who gets what posts.
compiled from agency reports
