Iraq Elects Kurdish Politician Nizar Amidi as President Amid Regional War Fallout

Iraq's parliament elected Kurdish politician Nizar Amidi as president, defeating rival Kurdistan Democratic Party candidate Fuad Hussein in a second-round vote (227 to 15). Amidi, from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, previously served as an aide to two Iraqi presidents. The vote came over two months past the constitutional deadline. Attention now shifts to the more powerful prime minister selection, which by convention goes to a Shiite politician.