Iraqi politicians elected a Sunni Arab to be the speaker of parliament today, ending a political impasse and taking a decisive step towards forming a government nine weeks after historic elections.
In an open ballot, the members of the 275-seat National Assembly voted overwhelmingly to elect Hajem al-Hassani, the current industry minister, as speaker.
Mr Hassani, a religious Sunni, is an ally of Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.
"We passed the first hurdle," he told reporters after his election. "The Iraqi people have proven that they can overcome the political crisis that has plagued the country for the last two months."
The newly-elected speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Hajem al-Hassani
Shi'ite politician Hussain Shahristani and Kurdish lawmaker Arif Tayfor were elected deputy speakers. The Shi'ites and Kurds, who came first and second in the January election, had agreed between them that a member of the once-dominant Sunni Arab minority should be speaker.
The process of forming a government has been drawn out by sharp differences between the Islamist-led Shi'ite alliance and the more secular Kurds over who should get which cabinet posts.
Parliament's last meeting on March 29th descended into chaos after politicians berated their leaders for not reaching decisions more quickly. Live coverage of the event was cut.
The naming of a speaker is one step towards ending Iraq's political deadlock, but the parliament was not expected to go much further today.
Iraqi officials have raised concerns that the longer it takes to form a government, the more it will fuel the insurgency by making elected authorities appear weak and indecisive. There is also anger among ordinary Iraqis, more than eight million of whom braved the threat of violence to vote in January only to see politics descend into squabbling.
Most of the top cabinet posts have already been worked out but the process has involved intense bargaining and brinkmanship. One position still in dispute is the oil ministry, which both the Shi'ites and the Kurds are determined to secure.
The standoff threatens to derail the timetable for drawing up a new constitution, the next major stepping stone, which is due to be drafted by mid-August.