ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - President Masoud Barzani on Friday termed the push to select the next Iraqi president in the absence of a prime minister is "unacceptable," coming as his Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has signaled that it will not attend the presidential election session in parliament that is pegged for Saturday.

"The persistence of certain factions within the Coordination Framework in pushing forward with the presidential election, while others deliberately stall the selection of a prime minister, is unacceptable," Barzani wrote on X.

The presidential election is scheduled to be held during Saturday's session of the Iraqi parliament.

"We stress that no constitutional entitlement will move forward unless this matter is resolved in parallel, guaranteeing the full presence and active participation of all parties in the upcoming parliamentary session."

The Kurdistan Region’s ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have yet to agree on a unanimous candidate for the Iraqi presidency, a post traditionally reserved for Kurds, over three months after the first session.

Meanwhile, State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki was positioned as the most likely candidate for the premiership following the November elections, but his ambitions were hampered after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut off support for Iraq should he be elected to the office.

Maliki previously served two terms as prime minister from 2006 to 2014, stepping down during his second term after major security setbacks linked to the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS), amid long-standing allegations of corruption.

His tenure also saw him draw the ire of Washington over his perceived closeness to Iran and for allowing Tehran to increase its influence in the country.

Regarding the presidency, the Kurdistan Region’s ruling KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have yet to agree on a unanimous candidate for the Iraqi presidency, a post traditionally reserved for Kurds, over three months after the first session.

The KDP has fielded Iraq’s current Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, while the PUK has nominated Nizar Amedi, former environment minister and the head of the party’s Baghdad office.

KDP officials have repeatedly stressed that the presidency, which has been held by the PUK since 2005, does not belong to a single party. 

Farhad Atrushi, the Iraqi parliament's second deputy speaker and a KDP lawmaker, on Friday expressed his rejection of the moves to choose a president rapidly.

Atrushi called for further dialogue among political forces to reach agreement on a broadly accepted presidential candidate, adding that there is still no consensus on a nominee for prime minister.