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Crisis-hit Iraq Makes Latest Bid to Elect President

Supporters of Iraq's Coordination Framework rally in the Green Zone Ahmad Al-rubaye AFP/File
Supporters of Iraq's Coordination Framework rally in the Green Zone Ahmad Al-rubaye AFP/File
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Crisis-hit Iraq Makes Latest Bid to Elect President

Supporters of Iraq's Coordination Framework rally in the Green Zone Ahmad Al-rubaye AFP/File
Supporters of Iraq's Coordination Framework rally in the Green Zone Ahmad Al-rubaye AFP/File

Lawmakers in crisis-hit Iraq meet Thursday for their fourth attempt this year to elect a state president and break a year-long gridlock marred by deadly violence that has deepened economic woes.

Oil-rich Iraq has yet to form a new government after general elections more than a year ago that were brought forward by a wave of mass protests against endemic corruption, rampant unemployment and decaying infrastructure, AFP said.

This week, the United Nations mission said that "the protracted crisis is breeding further instability" in the war-scarred country, warning of "divisive politics, generating bitter public disillusion".

Parliament is due to convene from 11:00 am (0800 GMT) in Baghdad's Green Zone, the capital's fortified government and diplomatic district that was recently the site of large protest camps set up by rival factions.

Lawmakers in the past three failed attempts to elect a new head of state, in February and March, did not even reach the required two-thirds threshold -- 220 out of 329 -- for a quorum.

Democratic institutions built since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein remain fragile, and neighboring Iran wields major influence.

For the past year, Iraq has not only been without a new government, but also without a state budget, locking up billions in oil revenues and obstructing much-needed reforms and infrastructure projects.

- 30 candidates, three front runners -
Iraq's rival Shiite Muslim political factions have been vying for influence and the right to select a new premier and form a government, with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi left in charge in a caretaker capacity.

On one hand is the fiery cleric Moqtada Sadr, who wants parliament dissolved and new elections.

On the other sits the Coordination Framework, an alliance of pro-Iran Shiite factions -- including former paramilitaries -- that wants a new government before fresh elections are held.

The standoff has seen both sides set up protest camps, and at times has sparked deadly street clashes in Baghdad.

Tensions boiled over on August 29 when more than 30 Sadr supporters were killed in battles between Iran-backed factions and the army.

The largely honorific post of Iraqi president is traditionally reserved for a Kurd.

It generally goes to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), while the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) keeps control over the affairs of autonomous Kurdistan in northern Iraq.

However, the KDP is also eyeing the presidency and could present its own candidate.

"It is still not clear that the Kurdish parties have come to an agreement on a president," said Hamzeh Hadad, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank.

Among the 30 candidates, top contenders include the incumbent, President Barham Saleh of the PUK, aged 61, and current Kurdistan Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed of the KDP, aged 54.

Abdel Latif Rashid, aged 78, a former water resources minister and ex-PUK leader running as an independent, has been suggested as a potential consensus candidate.

But the race remains open.

"Any president, that is not the strongest candidate of either the two main Kurdish parties will struggle to make a mark in Baghdad," said analyst Lahib Higel from the International Crisis Group.

- Next step, new PM -
Once elected, the president will appoint a prime minister -– chosen by the largest coalition in parliament –- who will then begin arduous negotiations to choose their cabinet.

"What is expected is that whoever is chosen, will designate a prime minister right away to form a government," said Hadad.

Key runners for prime minister are the Coordination Framework's candidate, former minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, 52.

Hadad believes Sudani is the most likely to be premier, but noted that "anything can change in Iraqi politics till the last minute".

The pro-Iran Coordination Framework draws together the Fatah alliance and lawmakers from the party of Sadr's longtime foe, former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki.

When Sudani was proposed in July, it sparked mass protests outraged Sadr supporters, who breached the Green Zone and stormed parliament.

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Arab World

Tetteh Affirms ‘Broad Support' For Libyan Agreement … Warns of Disrupting Elections

A session of the UN Security Council on Libya (UN Security Council)
A session of the UN Security Council on Libya (UN Security Council)
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Tetteh Affirms ‘Broad Support' For Libyan Agreement … Warns of Disrupting Elections

A session of the UN Security Council on Libya (UN Security Council)
A session of the UN Security Council on Libya (UN Security Council)

UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya (UNSMIL), Hanna Tetteh, told Security Council members on Wednesday that a deal she brokered to break the political deadlock in the North African country enjoys broad support. However, she warned that rejection by either of Libya’s two legislative bodies could derail elections scheduled to take place within the next two years.

‘Viable Pathway’

In a briefing to the UN Security Council in New York on Wednesday, Tetteh said that following four months of deliberations, on 30 August, the parties to the Smaller Convening signed an Agreement in Tripoli marking a break in the prolonged political and institutional deadlock.

The agreement established a viable pathway for legislative and presidential elections under a single unified executive authority within a period of 24 months.

Also, it provides for the reconstitution of the board of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) and for resolving long-standing contentious issues in the constitutional and legal framework that could negatively impact efforts to conduct peaceful credible and inclusive elections.

According to the UN representative, the Agreement was welcomed by the Government of National Unity, the Libyan National Army, the House of Representatives, and Vice President of the Presidential Council Mousa Al-Koni, among others.

However, she said, the High Council of State rejected the Agreement on 5 October along with the laws and decisions communicated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, citing approaches that would bypass the constitutional, legal and consensual frameworks governing the political process or undermine the prerogatives assigned to the two institutions.

“Their rejection continues to reflect the limited willingness of some of its members to engage constructively in this process, which has been a feature of the ongoing engagement with this chamber,” Tetteh warned.

In this regard, the UN representative revealed that several HCS members have indicated their willingness to engage in the Agreement and have requested additional time to consult amongst themselves on moving the process forward.

“I will further consult the parties to the Smaller Convening in our meeting later this month, including by examining the option of proceeding to a national mechanism of broad representation as provided for in Article 5 of the Agreement and in consultation with this Council,” she said.

Impact of Political Fragmentation

Tetteh said that institutional and political fragmentation have continued to impact negatively on the economic and security situation in the country.

While global oil prices should have generated a significant windfall for public revenues to benefit all, many Libyans are instead seeing their purchasing power eroded by rising food prices, a weaker dinar and inflation right now above 14%, while access to essential public services remain unreliable.

Also, food prices alone further rose by 3.8% in August, with the pressure particularly acute in the West and South, where food costs increased sharply over the summer.

Tetteh noted that between January and September 2026, fuel imports totalled 8.15 million metric tons, at a cost of $8.9 billion, of which between 30 and 50% of these imports are estimated to be lost to smuggling, worth between $2.4 and $4.4 billion.

She said the recent disruptions to oil infrastructure demonstrate the wider economic cost of political and security fragmentation to impact strategic national assets.

Petroleum Facility Guards from Zintan blocked the Hamada-Zawiya pipeline from 15 to 20 September, followed by the Sharara-Zawiya pipeline from 21 to 26 September reportedly due to disputes over appointments from within that region.

“The disruptions resulted in around one million barrels of lost production, worth approximately $100 million, and risked affecting salary payments and electricity generation,” she said.

At the security level, Tetteh said the overall situation remains fragile.

She welcomed positive steps toward enhanced military cooperation between Eastern and Western military and security institutions, adding the Mission continues to encourage confidence-building measures at the technical level between both sides.

Tetteh also referred to the follow-up meeting of the Eastern and Western maritime, air force and air defense commanders in Sirte on 9 September to discuss practical cooperation towards reunifying these sectors.

Elsewhere, the UN representative expressed concern over the execution over the last two months, in Benghazi of 58 individuals convicted of prior crimes related to terrorism offenses, including alleged membership in proscribed terrorist groups or involvement in the killing of military and civilian personnel.

She also condemned the ongoing wave of misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and incitement targeting refugees, migrants, including those with an irregular status, humanitarian actors and UN agencies and personnel in Libya, including colleagues who are Libyan nationals.

Tetteh asked the Security Council’s continued support to the UNSMIL-facilitated political roadmap and to ensure Libyan leaders promptly meet their obligations to fulfil their people’s ultimate aspirations for peace, stability, inclusive and democratic governance that they so deserve.

“The path to a stable, unified, and prosperous Libya remains long, but our destination remains within reach,” she said.

 

Arab World

Tunisian Journalists Fear Jail Again as Freedoms Erode

Tunisian journalists participate in a rally called by the Tunisian journalists' union to demand the release of journalist Mohamed Yousfi, a vocal critic of President Kais Saied, in Tunis, Tunisia. September 8, 2026. REUTERS/ Jihed Abidellaoui
Tunisian journalists participate in a rally called by the Tunisian journalists' union to demand the release of journalist Mohamed Yousfi, a vocal critic of President Kais Saied, in Tunis, Tunisia. September 8, 2026. REUTERS/ Jihed Abidellaoui
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Tunisian Journalists Fear Jail Again as Freedoms Erode

Tunisian journalists participate in a rally called by the Tunisian journalists' union to demand the release of journalist Mohamed Yousfi, a vocal critic of President Kais Saied, in Tunis, Tunisia. September 8, 2026. REUTERS/ Jihed Abidellaoui
Tunisian journalists participate in a rally called by the Tunisian journalists' union to demand the release of journalist Mohamed Yousfi, a vocal critic of President Kais Saied, in Tunis, Tunisia. September 8, 2026. REUTERS/ Jihed Abidellaoui

In the garden of the independent outlet ‘Nawaat,’ about half a dozen journalists sit smoking, trading jokes and discussing investigations they plan to publish on subjects ranging from the quality of drinking water to conditions of prisons.

They know that any of the stories ⁠could lead to prosecution.

A Hard Test

Journalists in Tunisia who enjoyed a burst of press freedom after the 2011 Arab Spring are once again looking over their shoulders in the knowledge their work may land them in prison.

The 2011 overthrow of Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali unshackled Tunisia's media, but a decade later President Kais Saied's seizure of sweeping powers began eroding those gains.

Some 20 journalists face criminal charges over their reporting or social media posts, with four already imprisoned, according to Zied Dabbar, head of the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists, who called the situation unprecedented.

In return, Saied has said he is not a dictator and that journalists are free to criticize authorities and frequently do.

Authorities say prosecutions are impartial judicial matters and that no one is above the law.
The Tunisian prime minister's press office did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

Now, independent media face a full-on crackdown, rights groups say, and Tunisia has tumbled more than 50 places in the past five years to 137th in Reporters Without Borders' press freedom index.

Shifting Minefield

“We are living in a grey area, as if we were in a shifting minefield, and we pay the price every day,” said Aymen Rezgui, editor-in-chief of Nawaat, reflecting on how at least limits were clear pre-2011 versus current uncertainty.

Rezgui said Nawaat regularly receives threats — anonymously or from government supporters on social media branding him a traitor — over reporting on issues ranging from prisons to power cuts and water shortages.

The outlet has also faced judicial restrictions, including a government order suspending activities for a month last year.

Journalists in Jail, Others Choose Exile

Many other journalists report similar pressures.

Last month, Mohamed Yousfi, editor-in-chief of independent news website Al-Qatiba, was arrested on his way to a private radio station for a live program. A judge has charged him with illicit enrichment, which he says is a fabrication.

Other jailed journalists and media figures include prominent broadcasters Mourad Zeghidi and Borhen Bsaies, who were first convicted of spreading false news and insulting the president, and later of tax evasion. ⁠They deny the charges and say they have been framed.

For some, leaving Tunisia has become the only option to avoid a similar fate, despite the personal cost.

In December 2025, Khaoula Boukrim, founder of independent website Tumedia and a prominent critic of the president, left for France fearing imminent arrest.

Months later, she was sentenced in absentia to four years in prison over writings critical of the judiciary and a system of governance she described as authoritarian.

Journalist Haythem Mekki has also left Tunisia after receiving a prison sentence following public comments he made denouncing conditions in a hospital morgue.

Beyond prosecutions, journalists are frequently prevented by police from working in public and are sometimes detained for hours, the journalists' syndicate says.

Most ministries no longer have press offices, while several international correspondents have been denied accreditation, further restricting independent coverage.

Political and critical programs have disappeared from many private radio stations. State media has ⁠increasingly marginalized dissenting voices, the syndicate says, though the TAP state news agency remains a rare exception, continuing to cover protests, opposition activities and civil society initiatives.

Arab World

Israeli Threat to Expand Lebanon’s Occupation, Displace More Than a Million Lebanese

File photo of Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz in the Tulkarm refugee camp in the northern West Bank (Israeli Army)
File photo of Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz in the Tulkarm refugee camp in the northern West Bank (Israeli Army)
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Israeli Threat to Expand Lebanon’s Occupation, Displace More Than a Million Lebanese

File photo of Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz in the Tulkarm refugee camp in the northern West Bank (Israeli Army)
File photo of Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz in the Tulkarm refugee camp in the northern West Bank (Israeli Army)

Defense Minister Israel Katz has ⁠warned Hezbollah against attacking Israel, saying the Israeli army was capable of occupying more Lebanese territories and displacing more than a million Shiites.

"Hezbollah will suffer a severe blow and lose additional territories in southern Lebanon within the Nabatieh and Litani regions, which will become part of Israel's permanent security zone. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is prepared to carry out the maneuver," Katz said on Wednesday.

Speaking from the self-declared security zone Israeli forces are ⁠occupying in southern Lebanon, Katz said that a million Shiites would be displaced and that Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut would not be spared.

Israel launched airstrikes and a ground invasion in southern Lebanon this year in parallel with the war in Iran, after Hezbollah fired into Israel in revenge ​for Israeli-American attacks against Tehran.

Hundreds of ​thousands of people from Lebanon's Shiite community were uprooted by the fighting.