Iraq’s president Salih takes office, independent Abdul-Mahdi to form govt

Veteran Kurdish politician Barham Salih assumed office on Wednesday as Iraq’s new president, ending nearly five months of political deadlock. Salih, 58, who previously served as Iraq’s planning minister and the prime minister of the self-ruled Kurdish region, was elected president by parliament and sworn in on Tuesday. He then tapped Adel Abdul-Mahdi, 76, an independent Shiite politician and former vice president, to form the next government. Under an unofficial agreement dating back to the 2003 US-led invasion, Iraq’s presidency - a largely ceremonial role - is held by a Kurd, while the prime minister is Shiite and the parliament speaker is Sunni. Both Salih and Abdul-Mahdi are longstanding members of the political class that has dominated Iraqi politics since then, AP reports.