The presidential election occurred five months after a parliamentary election that did not produce a bloc with a decisive majority, according to major media reports. The vote took place more than two months past the constitutional deadline, which requires a president to be elected within 30 days after the first session held by a newly elected parliament, multiple reports indicate. No candidate secured the required two-thirds majority in the first round of voting on Saturday, major media sources said. The president must be elected by a two-thirds majority in parliament, or 220 out of 329 members, according to research from six sources.
In the first round, Amidi secured 208 votes, far ahead of the other 15 candidates, major media reported. The second candidate was Muthanna Amin Nader, a parliamentarian from the Kurdistan Islamic Union bloc, who received 17 votes. As a result of no two-thirds majority, the parliament proceeded to a second round, where the winner is determined by a simple plurality of votes. Amidi then secured 227 votes in the second round, while Nader received 15 votes, according to major media.
Nizar Amidi is the official nominee of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) for Iraq's presidency, research from six sources confirms. He is a political official with one of Iraq's two main Kurdish parties, major media reports. Amidi beat out a roster of candidates that included Iraq's current Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, who was the pick of the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), according to major media. By convention, Iraq's president is always Kurdish, while the more powerful prime minister is Shiite and the parliamentary speaker is Sunni, major media notes. Iraq's presidency is allocated to a Kurdish politician under a power-sharing system established after 2003, research from two sources indicates.
Amidi is an engineer born in northern Iraq's Dohuk province and previously served as an aide to two other presidents, Jalal Talabani and Fouad Massoum, major media reports. Political parties in Iraq clash over leadership positions, including the presidency, due to sectarian and ethnic power-sharing customs, research from six sources shows. The PUK and KDP are in a high-level clash over the Iraqi presidency, with historical rivalry and shifting alliances, according to research from six sources. Incumbent president Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid was among eleven candidates competing for Iraq's presidency as of January 28, research from six sources confirms.
According to the Iraqi constitution, the president has 15 days to task the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc with forming a government and assuming the position of prime minister, major media reports. The dominant bloc, the Shiite Coordination Framework, a coalition of Iran-allied parties, announced in January that it would nominate former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, despite opposition from Washington, according to the Shiite Coordination Framework. The bloc will now have to decide whether to proceed with the nomination of al-Maliki or select another candidate, major media says. Current Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had been al-Maliki's main rival for the nomination before stepping aside to clear the path for him, major media adds.
The election unfolded against the backdrop of a regional war that began on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched a military attack on Iran, research from four sources indicates. The U.S. attack involved two aircraft carrier strike groups and advanced aircraft, alongside the Israeli air force, according to research from six sources. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the attack, and high-ranking members of the Iranian clerical regime also died, research from four and three sources respectively reports. U.S. President Donald Trump declared the aim of the attack was regime change in Iran, according to research from six sources.
There will be no negotiations with the United States.
Iran responded by launching missiles and armed drones against Israel and U.S. military facilities in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, research from three sources says. Iran has launched waves of ballistic missiles at Israel and struck civilian infrastructure in the Gulf, including ports and airports, according to research from three and six sources. The Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed due to hostilities, disrupting global oil supply, research from two sources indicates. The war and Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz largely halted the oil exports upon which Iraq's economy depends, major media reports.
The conflict left thousands dead in Iran and Lebanon, dozens dead in Israel and the Gulf Arab states, and millions displaced, research from six sources confirms. The attacks numbered nearly 900 in the first 12 hours, according to research from six sources. A girls' school in a town east of Bandar Abbas was struck, killing about 170 people, with U.S. forces believed responsible based on a preliminary investigation by the U.S. military, research from six sources reports. The exact casualty figures from Iranian missile attacks on Israel have not been confirmed.
At least three U.S. jets have been shot down in the first two days of fighting, research from six sources reports. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense stated that several U.S. warplanes had crashed over their territory. The United States claims the jets were shot down by friendly fire. Iran has received MiG-29 Su-35 fighter jets and Mil Mi-28 attack helicopters from Russia, according to research from six sources.
Iran's war is being run by the Supreme National Security Council chaired by Ali Larijani after Khamenei's death, research from six sources says. A new Provisional Leadership Council is being convened with President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, according to research from six sources. The Assembly of Experts is working to select Khamenei's replacement, but the exact timeline and outcome of this process remain unclear. Iran's government swiftly moved to replace leaders killed in the conflict, indicating regime stability, research from six sources notes.
The U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran cannot be legally justified under international law, according to an analysis by Susan M. Akram, an ACW Non-resident Fellow. Akram also stated that Iran has neither attacked the United States nor threatened to do so without being attacked first, so self-defense cannot justify the war. Iran's strategy is to exact a cost against the U.S. and Israel great enough to secure a durable peace, research from six sources indicates. Ali Larijani, chair of the Supreme National Security Council, declared in an official statement that there would be no negotiations with the United States, according to research from six sources.
The U.S. and Iran agreed on April 7–8 to a two-week ceasefire that included Israel, research from six sources confirms. The specific terms and conditions of this ceasefire have not been disclosed. Iraq is reeling from the fallout of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, major media reports. Iraq became caught in the middle of the conflict, with Iran-backed militias launching attacks on U.S. bases and diplomatic facilities as well as on critical energy infrastructure, according to major media. The U.S. and Israel carried out airstrikes targeting the militias, some of which killed members of the Iraqi military, major media adds.
Key unknowns include the final decision of the Shiite Coordination Framework regarding the nomination of Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister of Iraq. The current status of oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on global markets is also uncertain.