Iraqi parliament elects Abdul Latif Rashid as new president

Iraq’s parliament on Thursday elected Kurdish politician Abdul Latif Rashid as president, according to two lawmakers, paving the way for the formation of a new government and ending a year of deadlock, Report informs via Reuters.

Rashid, 78, is a British-educated engineer and was the Iraqi minister of water resources from 2003-2010. He has 15 days to invite a nominee from the largest parliamentary bloc to form a government.