Iraqi parliament's first session adjourned as it fails to elect speaker

Iraqi lawmakers attend the first session of the new Iraqi parliament in Baghdad, January 9, 2022. Iraqi Parliament Media Office/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Iraq’s parliament held its first session since October’s national election on Sunday but failed to elect a speaker, in what should have been the first step toward forming a new government.

The speaker selection process was disrupted as competing political blocs each claimed to hold a parliamentary majority. After heated debates and shouting among lawmakers, the temporary leader of the assembly, Mahmoud al-Mashahadani, decided to adjourn the session and it is not known when parliament will resume.