The Iraqi parliament needs to either amend its bylaws or have one candidate withdraw to be able to elect a new speaker, a member of the parliament’s legal committee said on Wednesday.

“The Acting Speaker of the Parliament, Muhsin al-Mandalawi, has inquired with the Federal Court regarding the sessions for electing the Speaker of the parliament,” Committee member Mohammed Anouz told Iraqi state media.

“In the event that one of the candidates withdraws, the other is chosen,” Anouz said, adding that if all candidates were to withdraw, then the parliament would have to re-open nominations.

“The nomination is re-opened again, or amending the bylaws is chosen as an option,” he added.

The Iraqi parliament on Saturday failed once again in electing a speaker to the legislative body.

The session was dedicated to electing a new speaker to the parliament after the position had been vacant since November.

The candidates for the position were MP Salem al-Issawi and the Sunni Taqaddum-backed Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.

 The session witnessed a large attendance, when 311 of the parliament’s 329 members were in attendance and casted their votes.

However, after two rounds of voting, no candidate was able to achieve the 167 votes required to be elected as speaker to the parliament, the voting had to enter a third round.

However, as the third round of voting was about to commence, a brawl broke out between several MPs, leaving Taqaddum MP Haibat al-Halbousi suffering a blow to his head.

The Iraqi parliament has not had a speaker since November when the Federal Supreme Court revoked former Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi’s parliamentary membership, charging him with forging another MP’s resignation.

Despite several attempts since November, the parliament time and again failed to elect a new speaker, with Halbousi’s Taqaddum and the Shiite Coordination Framework not agreeing on a candidate.