Iraqi parliament sets new date for next session

Iraq's parliament Tuesday set July 13 for its next session, changing the earlier decision to convene Aug 12, the acting parliament speaker said.

"Adhering to the constitutional contexts and in order to preserve and continue the process of building democracy, and after further consultation with the heads of the parliamentary blocs, we've decided to change the date of the previous call for parliament to convene to be Sunday, July 13," Mahdi al-Hafidh said in a statement issued on the parliament's official website.

Al-Hafidh called on the political blocs to reach a consensus over the needed nominations of candidates for the three top posts, including speaker, president and prime minister, Xinhua reported citing the statement.

"The delay (with nominations) will jeopardise the security of Iraq and its democratic course and will increase the suffering of the Iraqi people," al-Hafidh warned.

The July 1 session was first adjourned to July 8, and then to of Aug 12, which was seen as too long for the country. Therefore, the acting speaker, who was under pressure by some political blocs, decided to bring forward the date to July 13.

According to the Iraqi constitution, a new president should be chosen within the next 30 days after the election of the speaker and two deputies.

Following that, the new head of state will have two weeks to ask the bloc with the most lawmakers to nominate a prime minister who will be responsible for forming a new government.

The prime minister-designate has 30 days to select his cabinet members and present the list to parliament.

With the country's ever deepening security crisis, a new unity government is now considered vital for Iraq to counter the Sunni insurgency that threatens to split the country apart.