ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Iraqi Presidency on Tuesday set December 29 as the date for the first session of the new Iraqi parliament, days after the Federal Supreme Court ratified the parliamentary election’s results.

“The Council of Representatives [parliament], elected in its sixth term, is called to convene on Monday, December 29, 2025,” read a presidency document, adding that “The session shall be chaired by the eldest member.”

Amer al-Faiz, a Sunni lawmaker from Basra, told The New Region in early December that he is set to chair the first session of the new Iraqi parliament as the eldest elected member of the legislature.

“The opening session represents a pivotal station to determine the form of the next legislative work,” said Faiz, stressing that he will assume the temporary role to ensure that “the procedures are in accordance with the constitutional and legal framework.”

The announcement comes after the top court ratified the November election results on Sunday, binding the parliament to hold its first session within 15 days.

During the first session, the representatives elect a speaker, a post that traditionally goes to a Sunni Arab.

A political source told The New Region earlier this week that Azm Alliance leader Muthanna al-Samarrai is the closest to assume the Speaker of the Parliament position, a claim confirmed by Ghanem al-Aifan, a senior member of the party.

Iraq concluded its sixth parliamentary elections on November 11, in which over 7,750 candidates competed for the Iraqi legislature’s 329 seats. No party won enough seats to earn a parliamentary majority, with inter-party negotiations to form the next Iraqi cabinet being essential as a result.