# Nizar Amedi elected president (11 April 2026)

URL: https://allhistories.com/iraq/timeline/2026-nizar-amedi-elected-president
Themes: Key Events

On 11 April 2026 the Council of Representatives elected Nizar Amedi of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) as President of Iraq. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the PUK's long-standing rival, boycotted the vote. Under the informal power-sharing convention followed since 2005, the presidency has been held by a Kurd, the premiership by a Shi'a Arab and the speakership of parliament by a Sunni Arab. The presidency has usually gone to a PUK candidate, a practice the KDP has challenged in recent contests. The election of a president was a constitutional step required before a prime minister could be formally nominated, and it came more than five months after the November 2025 election, as the country was emerging from the airspace closure caused by the war on Iran.

## Why it matters
Amedi's election unblocked the formation of a new government but underlined continuing divisions between the two main Kurdish parties.

Ruler at the Time: [Nizar Amedi](https://allhistories.com/iraq/rulers/nizar-amedi)

Prime Minister: Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (Coordination Framework)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — President of Iraq](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Iraq)
- [Wikipedia — Patriotic Union of Kurdistan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriotic_Union_of_Kurdistan)
- [Wikipedia — 2025 Iraqi parliamentary election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Iraqi_parliamentary_election)