ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - A meeting of the Sunni National Political Council on Sunday ended without resolving disagreements among the parties over senior top positions, particularly the post of Speaker of Parliament, according to political sources and officials.

A well-informed source said on Monday that disagreements continue between the Taqadum Party and the Azm Alliance over the nomination for the speakership.

The source told The New Region that Thabet al-Abbasi, head of the Hasm Alliance and Iraq’s defense minister, proposed during his chairing of Sunday’s meeting that there should be a “consensus candidate” that is acceptable to all parties of the council.

The proposal was opposed by both Azm Alliance leader Muthanna al-Samarrai and Taqadum Party leader Mohammed al-Halbousi, who “insisted on nominating themselves,” according to the source.

“Yesterday's meeting was not friendly,” the source stated, noting that the dispute over the distribution of positions also escalated, as representatives of other parties like Sovereignty, Hasm, and Jamahir alliances objected to their shares of positions and ministries, “prompting leaders to set Tuesday as the date to decide on the speaker nominee.”

Faisal al-Issawi, a lawmaker from the Azm Alliance, confirmed that the decision on the Speaker of Parliament nominee was postponed until the next meeting scheduled for Tuesday.

“So far, the National Political Council of Sunni forces has not resolved the issue of agreeing on a candidate for the post of Speaker of Parliament,” Issawi told The New Region, noting that discussions during Sunday’s meeting focused on the division of positions and ministries.

Samarrai and Halbousi remain the nominees of their respective lists, according to Issawi.

The MP claimed  that no disputes have occurred within the National Political Council so far and expressed hope that Tuesday’s meeting would result in a single candidate for the position.

The Sunni political forces are set to hold a meeting on Tuesday at the office of Ahmed al-Jubouri, also known as Abu Mazen, the leader of the Jamahir Party, to finalize the choice of the Speaker of Parliament nominee ahead of the first parliamentary session scheduled for December 29.

In an official statement on Sunday’s meeting, the council reaffirmed its commitment to constitutional deadlines for the December 29 parliamentary session, and to finalizing the selection of the Speaker of Parliament and their two deputies.

Modeled after the Shiite Coordination Framework, the National Political Council is an umbrella group of Sunni parties, announced in late November by leaders of the main Sunni parties from the November elections.