The post of president of the Republic of Iraq has become part of the political conflict. Any talk of the presidential aspirations of Osama al-Nujaifi — Iraq’s parliament speaker and head of the Sunni Mutahidoun bloc — is countered by the insistence of Kurdish parties and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region that the post be reserved for the Kurds. The latter argue that maintaining this post is the right of the Kurdish people.

Prior to the April 30 parliamentary elections, reports surfaced that the Sunnis sought to restore their control of this post, which they lost during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. The reports said that Nujaifi was concluding understandings with various political forces to restore the post to the Sunnis. According to the Iraqi Constitution, the post of president is considered honorary.

The Kurdish parties, which cannot nominate current President Jalal Talabani, the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), since he has served the maximum of two successive terms, remained silent on these reports. Many observers believed this silence implied Kurdish approval of Nujaifi assuming the presidential post. However, the office of the presidency of the Kurdistan Region was quick to announce that the post shall remain in the hands of the Kurds. 

Nevertheless, this announcement came amid a conflict between the three Kurdish parties in the Kurdistan Region, which aspire to nominate one of their members for president.