ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The election of Iraq’s next president has once again been delayed, as the Kurdistan Region’s leading parties fail to reach a consensus on a unanimous candidate, and hesitation builds within the Shiite camp over the nomination of Nouri al-Maliki for the post of prime minister.

The Iraqi parliament on Sunday postponed for a second time a session to elect the country’s next president due to not meeting quorum. No date has yet been set for the next session.

Lawmakers speaking to The New Region attributed the session’s postponement to the failure of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to agree on a single candidate, while suggesting that the controversial nomination of Maliki for the premiership also played a role in delaying the sitting to provide more time for consultations and reconsideration within the Shiite camp.

Iraq’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework on Saturday announced that it will keep Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition and Iraq’s former prime minister, as its nominee for the country’s next premier, despite US President Donald Trump’s warning that Washington will no longer help Baghdad if Maliki is elected, criticizing his “insane policies and ideologies.”

Shakhawan Abdullah, head of the KDP bloc in the Iraqi parliament, said that negotiations continue over the Iraqi presidency, while noting that he does not believe the Coordination Framework will be able to reach a consensus on Maliki.

“The Framework yesterday announced that it stands by its decision, and I believe that their [US’] position has made the Shiites more committed to Mr. Maliki as their pick. I believe that not holding a vote on the Iraqi presidency is in part related to that,” said Abdullah.

“Not holding the Iraqi presidency election is in part due to issues within the Kurdish camp, where no agreement has yet been reached on a candidate, and another main reason is issues within the Shiite camp, where there is no consensus on Nouri al-Maliki to become prime minister,” PUK MP Dilan Ghafour told The New Region.

A delegation from Iraq’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework is expected in Erbil in the coming days to discuss the presidency and premiership.

PUK MP Mazin Gharib said that he believes the issue will be resolved within this week, citing the Coordination Framework’s planned visit, stressing that the party remains committed to its candidate Nizar Amedi.

“Our brothers at the KDP have no qualms about the candidacy of Dr. Nizar… This time, the KDP wants to assume the presidency itself, so it is not similar to the disagreements in previous elections,” Gharib noted.

Following the postponement, the Iraqi parliament’s speakership announced that it will hold a meeting with the head of the legislature’s blocs to resolve the issue of the presidency, stressing the importance of respecting the constitutional timeframes.

The Iraqi presidency, traditionally reserved for Kurds, is constitutionally required to be settled by the parliament within 30 days of the new legislature's first session, with the deadline having passed in this case on January 28.

The KDP has nominated current Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, while the PUK has fielded Amedi, Iraq’s former environment minister and head of the party’s Baghdad office. The incumbent President Abdul Latif Rashid, a senior PUK member, is running independently. Lawmaker Muthanna Amin, meanwhile, is representing Kurdish opposition parties in the race.