Iraq’s parliament elects Abdul Latif Rashid as president: Lawmakers

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.

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.