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## Nizar Amedi – Iraqi President (2026) ### Overview Nizar Amedi is a Kurdish politician elected as President of Iraq by the Iraqi parliament on April 11, 2026 (Al Jazeera, April 11). His election ended approximately five months of political deadlock following his predecessor's departure (Al Jazeera, April 11). ### Election Amedi reportedly secured 227 votes in the parliamentary ballot (Al Jazeera, April 11), a margin described as sufficient to break the prolonged political stalemate. His election follows the longstanding Iraqi convention of reserving the presidency for a Kurdish politician, the speakership for a Sunni Arab, and the prime ministership for a Shia Arab. ### Policy Stance Amedi pledged an **'Iraq First'** governing philosophy upon election, signaling a potentially more nationalist, cross-sectarian approach to governance (Al Jazeera, April 11). The substance of this pledge remains to be tested given Iraq's complex sectarian landscape and external pressures from both the US-Iran conflict and ongoing ceasefire negotiations hosted in Islamabad. ### Strategic Context Amedi's election comes amid significant regional turbulence. Iraq sits at the intersection of US-Iran tensions, hosts significant Iranian-aligned militia networks, and has strategic exposure to Strait of Hormuz dynamics. His ability to assert Iraqi sovereignty and navigate competing pressures from Tehran, Washington, and Ankara will define his early tenure. ### Key Relationships - **Kurdish political bloc**: Base of political support - **Iraqi parliament**: Governing legitimacy source - **US-Iran ceasefire dynamics**: External constraint on Iraqi policy space ### Unknowns - Cabinet formation timeline and power-sharing arrangements - Specific positions on Kurdish autonomy, Kirkuk, and oil revenue disputes - Stance toward Iranian-aligned Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF)