Iraq parliament elects nominee of pro-Iran list as speaker

The Iraqi parliament elected the nominee of a pro-Iran list as speaker on Saturday, signalling that it is likely to have the votes to lead the next government.

Mohammed al-Halbusi was governor of the Sunni-majority province of Anbar, one of the main battlegrounds of the war against the Islamic State group, until he was elected to parliament on a local list in May.

In Iraq, the speaker of parliament is always Sunni Arab while the prime minister is picked from the Shiite majority and the president is a Kurd.