According to Mawazin News, Ali al-Ghanemi he spokesman of the media office said in a statement that the deputies boycotted the meeting and added that the deputies made the decision unanimously.

The federal parliament convened on Saturday to vote on the election of the speaker and their two deputies.

NRT reported that as of 1:30pm EBL only three candidates remain for the speakership: Mohammed al-Halbusi, Khaled al-Obeidi, and Osama Nujaifi.

The report added that four Kurdish lawmakers have nominated themselves for the position of second deputy speaker.

The lawmakers are Bashir Hadad of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Ahmed Haji Rashid of the Kurdistan Islamic Group (KIG), Muthanna Amin of the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), and Ala Talabani of the Baghdad Alliance.

The eldest member of parliament, Mohammed Ali Zinni, presided over the session.

After selecting the speaker and their deputies, the Council of Representatives will then turn to the task of electing the president, who will then appoint the prime minister.

A number of Sunni factions are vying for the position after failing to agree on a unified nominee.

The parliament failed to install a speaker when parliament first met on September 3-4 because it lost quorum after several Shia and Kurdish groups walked out because of a disagreement over which parties constituted the largest bloc.

Since the ratification of the 2005 Constitution, a Sunni has traditionally held the speakership, while a Kurd and a Shia politician have served as president and prime minister, respectively.