On Friday, President Masoud Barzani warned against proceeding with the Iraqi presidency vote on April 11 without political consensus.

“The persistence of certain factions within the Coordination Framework in pushing forward with the presidential election, while others deliberately stall the selection of a prime minister, is unacceptable,” President Masoud Barzani posted on X. 

“We stress that no constitutional entitlement will move forward unless this matter is resolved in parallel, guaranteeing the full presence and active participation of all parties in the upcoming parliamentary session.”

Also on Friday, Farhad Atroushi, Second Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament and member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) bloc, announced that the bloc will not participate in Saturday’s session to elect the President of the Republic, citing the absence of national consensus regarding constitutional entitlements.

Atroushi urged political parties to engage in substantive dialogue and move away from attempts to impose a fait accompli.

He further emphasized that no agreement has yet been reached on a Prime Ministerial candidate, asserting that it is the KDP’s right to be informed of the nominated individual and to have a say in determining the person who will lead the government.

On Thursday, the Iraqi Council of Representatives announced that the election of the President of Iraq will be held on April 11.

The Iraqi parliamentary elections took place on November 11, 2025, but so far no government has been formed and no president or prime minister has been selected.

In January, the Shi’a majority Coordination Framework announced it had picked former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as its candidate for the position of prime minister after months of deliberation, but the U.S. government has opposed his candidacy, creating a deadlock.