The country was a divided country after that. Lately, religious figures such as Ali as-Sistani, the once ultimate arbiter was sidelined when protesters stormed the parliament and ignored his call to leave.

Now President Rashid at the Presidential Palace could step in to fill the void as a person with a unifying reputation that is never taken part in factions or rivalries but devoted his political life to bridging differences.

President Rashid has a long history with Iraqi leaders and is a pioneering member of the PUK, the first party to resist Saddam Hussein's brutal crackdown on Iraqi opposition in the mid and late 1970s.

The PUK headquarters in the mountains of the Kurdistan region served as a safe house and refuge for Iraqi opposition groups to resist tyranny. The PUK relied on support primarily from the E.U., in which President Rashid represented the PUK in the U.K. and several important western nations. As such, he is known for his efforts to bring differences together and work collectively for Iraq and not only the Kurdistan region. 

As the constitution and conventional wisdom have it, the position of the President of the republic is a symbolic one. Yet, former President Jalal Talabani empowered that position by turning it into the center of arbitration for all Iraqi forces. He was a nationally accepted leader with a long history with Iraqi leaders. He helped them in their fight against Saddam Hussein and gave them shelter and protection through the PUK.

The Salam Presidential Palace was a place where all parties, whether marginalized or in power, could turn to and resolve their disputes. He made the office of the President the place that bound all of Iraq together and needed somebody who all could welcome.

In fact, in a consociational democracy where power is shared among different ethnic and sectarian groups, without an overarching authority, Iraq could devolve into anarchy as it did after the 2021 general elections because the office of the president could not bring the parties together.

When President Talabani departed from Iraqi politics in late 2012, the gap he left was felt more than ever. The current political stalemate could have never happened had they heeded President Talabani's advice.

The election of Barham Salih as president of Iraq in 2018 was followed by nationwide Tishreen Protests and frequent clashes between pro-US and pro-Iranian forces. Iraq could no longer balance Iran and the US from one side and local militia from the other. Former President Barham Salih was a figure that the PUK put forward as a compromising one to prevent the party fracture, defied the role Talabani came to make to the office of the Republican President.

Although it might not have been intentionally, Barham Salih divided not only the Kurdish house but also the Shiite house. Most notably, Muqtada al-Sadr, once called him out, saying, very shameful that [he is] the so-called President of the Republic of Iraq (Barham). However, the election of Dr Latif Rashid to President broke a year of stalemate and will bring back that tradition.

All Iraqi parties and leaders welcome President Rashid as he has a long history in Iraq and always eschewed taking sides in rivalries and conflicts and putting his resources into bringing others together. Although relations between the KDP and PUK are record low, they surprisingly agreed on the President Rashid's election.  As a democrat educated in the U.K., president Rashid believes that democracy is the ultimate unity that Iraq so early is in dire need of.

Unity could be the answer to violence, resulting in peace, stability and prosperity and eventually a satisfying majority of Iraqis.

Mohammed Salih Iraq, an Al-Sadr inner circle man, tweeted after the election of the President and designation of the prime minister of Iraq, his position which mirrors Al-Sadr's that "the forming of a experienced, militia-dependent government that confronts people's interests and in opposition to the "the tried won't be tried again" and after failing to form a majority government that is neither easter or western that service justice, law and an impartial judiciary that gives all arms back to the state."

The Sadr Movements' remarks come after the prime minister designated Al-Sudani promised to form a cabinet soon, one that al-Sadr has publicly rejected for being tried, as al-Sadr says.

"We denounce suppression of people's voices and bring back to square one… and we demand that to keep Iraq away from turning into a puppet of foreign agendas, weapons removed from [non-state] groups and reject taking peoples into the pockets and banks of the corrupt," Al-Sadr noted.

Al-Sadr also warned against using the government to plunder state resources as it was done in the past. The Sadr movement has promised the people of Iraq to drain the swamp, referring to Baghdad's Green Zone, the political capital of Iraq.

Warning his allies and affiliates, Iraqi objects to participating in the government in a strongly worded passage, "to those who participate in the ministries of the unjust for whatever reasons does not represent us and we are acquitted of them."

Iraqi also calls for avoiding the government formers and compares them to “Gog and Magog,” as they spread evil on earth.

The long-awaited and overdue al-Sadr message is the strongest and reveals his deep mistrust and opposition to the government, although it remains to be seen how the Sar Movements' words unfold on Baghdad's streets.

Iraq broke a year of political impasse after electing a president who immediately designated al-Sudani as prime minister in charge of forming a council of ministers; however, with the de facto leader of Iraqi streets calling it corrupt and failed experience, more is lying ahead of Iraq.

Iraqi Joint Operations Commander Lieutenant Tahsin Khafaji said, "Iraqi army launched several intensive ground and air operations have against the remnants of the terrorist group ISIL in the past two to three months."

"There is no one left in Iraq to lead the terrorist group remnants, which is a deadly blow to the terrorist group, and the people's cooperation with the Iraqi army and security forces in locating the terrorists has proved crucial." 

ISIS controlled vast swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014, but the terrorists became fully devoid of territorial control in 2017. While the group currently doesn'tcontrol any territory, it still continues to pose security risks through abductions, hit-and-run attacks, and bombings, especially in the disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad. 

The candidates are the incumbent president Barham Salih has close to 150 votes and Latif Rashid has close to 140 votes. 

For the House of Representatives to appoint the President requires two-thirds of the MPs to be present, or 220 out of 329 MPs. Many observers believe that a minimum number of MPs is needed in the house to hold its session. The required number might not be present in tomorrow's session. 

"The President of the Republic is the Head of the State and a symbol of unity of the country and represents the sovereignty of the country," Article 67 of the 2005 Iraqi constitution states. The President has no executive powers and is responsible for signing republican decrees, submitting bills, and representing Iraq internationally, in addition to appointing the candidate for the premiership. 

A security source said that a military force has launched a large-scale security operation to search for ISIS sleeper cells in Mount Sheikh Ibrahim in the district of Tala'afar in western Mosul.

The operation aims to destroy ISIL strongholds and arrest terrorists hiding in valleys and tunnels.

On Tuesday, the 14th Brigade of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) launched a search operation to eliminate ISIS sleeper cells in Nineveh, the aim of the operation was to protect citizens and control the roads through which ISIS terrorists infiltrate into Nineveh.

After the military defeat of ISIS in late 2017, and early 2018, the terrorist group began regrouping the disputed and loosely controlled regions between the Peshmerga forces and Iraqi army. These operations aim to deny the group a safe heaven in these regions.

Dr. Latif is a Kurdish politician, statesman, and well-versed academic who works for his people behind the cameras and rarely appears publicly. His preferred choice of governance is action over words.

President Rashid is a statesman with a long experience in world-renowned international organizations and the Iraqi government. He served as Iraqi Minister of Water Resources during Nouri al-Maliki's premiership from December 2003 until December 2010, given as he holds a Ph.D. in water hydraulics. Late president Jalal Talabani appointed him as the Senior Adviser to the President of the Republic at the end of 2010 until October 31, 2018. He was a trusted advisor to President Talabani.

Born in 1994 in Sulaimani, President Rashid is from a Kurdish family committed to Kurdish rights in Iraq and the region, rights denied for long. In his teen years, he moved to complete his education to serve his country better. He obtained a master's degree in hydraulics from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom in 1972. He received a Ph.D. in water hydraulics from the same university in 1976.

President Rashid's political life began in the 1960s, when he joined the Kurdistan Democratic Party, became an influential member and leader in the Kurdish Student Association in Europe, and participated in meetings for the founding of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. The PUK led the liberation of the Kurdistan region in the 1990s. President Rashid was named the party's representative in Britain and several European countries for his distinguished skills and linguistic abilities that were rare to come by at the time.

As a vigorous young engineer, President Rashid was appointed to Sir William Halcrow & Associates Consulting Firm in London from 1975 - 1976. Later, he moved to Saudi Arabia in February 1977 to supervise the national Saudi irrigation and development project.

He was then assigned to work in Somalia in the Northern Irrigation Project to conduct a survey and evaluation of the project from 1979 until 1981. Again, his passion for humanity made him an adept humanitarian in countries that needed assistance.

President Rashid is a crucial supporter of human rights organizations in the Kurdistan region and Iraq, such as Kurdistan Save the Children.

He became the project manager for the International Food and Agriculture Organization - Agricultural Development Project for Wadi Tuban in Yemen from 1981-82. Then, the Jizan Valley Dam and the irrigation project between 1982-1983.

The International Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) appointed him as Director of the International Food and Agriculture Organization project between 1983 - 1986.

Latif President Rashid is married to Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed, PUK Politimember of the working body in the political bureau of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. She is the sister-in-law of the late former Iraqi President Jalal Taliban. President Rashid is the father of two sons and one daughter and is fluent in Arabic, Kurdish, and English.

President Abdul Latif Rashid is a licensed engineer, a fellow of the Institute of Civil Engineers in Britain, and a member of the International Commission for Irrigation and Sanitation. He is the Head of the International Commission for Irrigation and Sanitation in Iraq and a member of the Iraqi Society of Engineers and Iraqi Engineers Association. He is also involved with other scientific societies and forums, as well as his published scientific research in Arabic and English.

As the Iraqi National Congress was formed in the early 90s, he was elected as a member of the Executive Leadership Council and played a pivotal role in toppling Saddam Hussein's dictatorial regime.

President Rashid is a uniting factor in Kurdish and Iraqi politics. He has always worked to bridge gaps between different factions and create favorable environments for talks. He has never taken a side in rivalries and conflicts. 

President Rashid won the run for President of Iraq on October 13, defeating the incumbent President Barham Salih, the first incumbent President defeated in the parliamentary voting in the democratic history of Iraq.

President Rashid is a figure that works to unite all Iraqi parties at a time that division runs deep within all. He is also a President that is welcomed from all sides for his conflict-proof approaches to politics. He is expected to name a prime minister soon and help cover the gaps between Iraqi Shiite political parties that have disagreed on a candidate for prime minister for a year.

Electing the Iraqi President has sparked much controversy, and the parties still have different views on Thursday's meeting. Speaking for the State and Law Coalition, lawmaker Mohannad Khazraj said the presidential candidate would be voted into office after the political factions reach an agreement. He said the Kurdish parties' agreement on a candidate for the post is a matter for themselves.

"Everyone realizes that the president must be elected, otherwise the situation in Iraq cannot tolerate further delays and will lead to more complications," he said.

Coordination Framework leader Fazel Mawat Kasar said the Sadr movement was unlikely to react to the parliamentary session to appoint the President.

According to Kasar, "the Coordination Framework is not afraid of the reaction of the Sadr movement because the meeting is constitutional and the country needs a government urgently; otherwise, it will fall into further stagnation and crisis.

"It is impossible for the Kurdish forces to participate in the session with a common candidate," said Hassan Faddam, a Coordination Framework leader.

Other Coordination Frameworks believe that "if the Sadr movement does not agree to negotiate by tomorrow, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani would be sworn in as prime minister. If the Sadr movement agrees to negotiate before the Parliament meeting, Al-Sudani would be the first victim."

Iraqi Council of Representative's Thursday session will begin at 11:00 AM, meeting only to elect a President. Thirty-three people are running for the post of the President of the Republic.

For the House of Representatives to appoint the President requires two-thirds of the MPs to be present, or 220 out of 329 MPs. Many observers believe that a minimum number of MPs is needed in the house to hold its session. The required number might not be present in tomorrow's session. 

"The President of the Republic is the Head of the State and a symbol of unity of the country and represents the sovereignty of the country," Article 67 of the 2005 Iraqi constitution states. The President has no executive powers and is responsible for signing republican decrees, submitting bills, and representing Iraq internationally, in addition to appointing the candidate for the premiership. 

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Kazemi called on all political parties to resort to rational, peaceful and constructive dialogue on the occasion after a year passed since the 2021 early parliamentary elections.

Today, Monday, Prime Minister of Iraq Mustafa Kadhimi tweeted," on this day, last year, October 10, we implemented the most significant obligation in our government by holding early parliamentary elections."

A year has passed, and Iraq is still without a government, given the 2010 elections in which the country took a record 289 days to form a government. The country is still divided over forming a government. 

"Last year's early elections were held fairly and professionally in the presence of the United Nations and all observers," Kadhimi added.

The PM noted, "after a year, the experience proved that resorting to the ballot box must be consistent with the beliefs of the political forces involved and the practice of political action per cultural and democratic frameworks."

Kadhimi was referring to political parties engaged in extra-legal political activities that have brought Baghdad and much of Iraq into chaos.

"Over the past two years, despite the unscrupulous attacks, we have worked calmly and rationally on a different path to resort to dialogue and joint cooperation with all different political forces for stability and peace," Kadhimi explained. The "unscrupulous attacks," is a reference to the Kamikaze drones that hit Kadhimi's official residence in Baghdad and injured several people from his security detail.

The PM once again called on all political parties to resort to the logic of rational, peaceful and constructive dialogue to resolve the political impasse and promote a comprehensive national solution that will strengthen their "infant democracy" and support the pillars of stability and prosperity for Iraq.

A year has passed since Iraq held its early elections to form a new government following the Tishreen Protests that demanded a new government as soon as possible. With Muqtada al-Sadr, which controls much of the streets of Iraq, boycotting the normal political process, a prospect for a new government soon is far from possible.

The United Nations Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) released a statement on the anniversary of the country’s early elections in 2021, which UNAMI called “Hard earned-elections” and said, “a year ago, the Iraqis went to the polls with the hope of charting a new future for their country.”

The country has seen multiple rounds of negotiations that not only failed to form a government but also brought the country to the brink of a clash. 

“It was a hard-earned election brought about by public pressure from nationwide protests in which several hundred of young Iraqi protests lost their lives and were injured,” UNAMI noted. 

The 2019–2021 Iraqi protests, also known as Tishreen Protests, were a series of protests and sit-ins in Iraq that resulted in thousands of casualties and close to 8000 people were killed. 

The United Nations mission in Iraq asked all parties to dialogue without “preconditions”. It said, “through compromise, they must collectively agree on key outcomes that reaffirm their publicly stated objective, which is to serve the needs of the Iraqi people and establish a fully empowered and effective government. The time to act is now.” 

The UNAMI and Special Representative of Secretary-General for UNAMI Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert have an obvious role in Iraqi politics. Plasschaert has cultivated close relations with all Iraqi leaders. She has organized summits and meetings to bring the Iraqi leaders together to the long overdue government. 

On Prophet Muhammad's birthday, Iraqi Hezbollah commander Abu Ali al-Askari tweeted, "the brigades [Hezbollah] will work to throw Kazemi treachery behind the bars of justice after handing over the government's duties to a new prime minister."

In a statement, the Shiite armed group Iraqi Hezbollah said that Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi has done nothing but waste public resources and sign worthless contracts with companies and countries in various fields that have not benefited Iraq. He has done nothing else, and all his work has been for show.

There have been numerous assassination attempts on Khadim's life in the past two years; some attributed to pro-Iran Shiite armed groups for Khadimi's policies downplaying Shiite militia. 

On 7 November 2021, several Kamikaze drones hit Mustafa al-Kadhimi's official residence in Baghdad's Green Zone, the most heavily guarded place in Iraq. Kadhimi survived, while several members of his security detail were injured.

The group added that it had made all preparations to arrest Kadhimi immediately following the formation of the new Iraqi government. It would legally remove him from power and be punished him for setting an example for the coming prime minister not to copy him.

A coordination Framework leader recently announced that they had decided to bar state officials from travelling after their official duties are over until they are proven clean of corruption, and specifically mentioned Khadimi. 

The Iraqi Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing of a complaint filed against the remittance of 200 billion dinars to the Kurdistan region until November 25, citing the absence of a representative of the Iraqi Ministry of Finance.

In May, an Iraqi Council of Representatives member filed a complaint against the Ministry of Finance for sending 200 billion dinars to the Kurdistan Region.

In 2013, a dispute emerged between the Kurdistan region and Baghdad that culminated in Baghdad’s withholding of the region’s budget share, equal to an effective financial blockade on the Kurdistan region. 

Numerous KRG delegations have been to Baghdad to restore the KRG’s share of the Budget that former prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki’swas terminated during his premiership in 2014. 

Speaking to Al-Rafidain News, Coordination Framework leader Jamal Hassan said, "Successive Iraqi governments have made a big mistake in the fight against corruption because they did not issue decisions to prevent the travel of prime ministers, ministers, directors, and cabinet officials involved in corruption." 

Most senior Iraqi officials, including the President and Prime minister, possess second citizenship and would move to their second destination after their official duties are over in Iraq. 

The cases involve ministers, directors, and officials who have traveled abroad without being held accountable after finishing their duties; most of them possess foreign citizenships that make it very difficult to return looted cash to Iraq, Hassan explained. 

Hassan said the Coordination Framework currently discusses avoiding past mistakes, barring officials from traveling, and banning Kadhimi and his cabinet ministers from traveling after the formation of the new Iraqi government.

"Making such a decision is very plausible, and we hope to implement it to overcome the mistakes of previous governments and contribute to reducing any corruption and preventing any loophole through which those accused of corruption can travel abroad," Hassan added.

Iraq leads global corruption perception indices and scores worse year after year. Even though various anti-corruption committees are established to fight corruption, and many corruption scandals have been revealed, corrupt officials usually leave office without a scratch.

Regarding the UNSC meeting, yesterday and the UN Secretary-General envoy to Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert's remarks on Iraq, the Sadr Movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr tweeted, "the main reason for what is happening in Iraq is corruption, and the first step to reform is the keeping the old figures and their parties away from the next government.

He said he would agree to dialogue if it was open and aimed at removing all participants in the political process and past elections and holding corrupt officials accountable by an unbiased court.

Al-Sadr also praised the Security Council for supporting Iraq against the bombings and called on neighboring countries to respect Iraq's sovereignty.

Finally, the leader of the Sadr Movement thanked the UN envoy for his remarks and called on her to continue her neutrality.

Almost a year has passed since Iraq held its general parliamentary elections, and still, the country has yet to agree to form a new government. Numerous negotiations have collapsed since, and different armed political parties almost clashed in Baghdad over forming the next government. 

When Muqtada al-Sadr withdrew from the parliament and claimed to exit from politics, the situation turned negative, and violent clashes in Baghdad killed many protesters. 

Protesters and political parties had stalled the parliament’s meetings numerous times when it tried to elect the president and the prime minister. 

Coordination Framework is the largest faction that has fulfilled its duty and appointed Mohammed Shia Sudani as prime minister, and said the House of Representatives is likely to meet next weekend to set a new president, Shammari noted. 

Earlier, Abbas Amiri, a member of the Coordination Framework, said the Kurdish forces had been given ten days to agree on a candidate for the presidency.

Almost a year has passed since Iraq held its parliamentary elections. The country has remained divided over electing its next president and prime minister in the parliament.