Baghdad: Presidential candidate and legal adviser Salem Hawas expressed deep concern over what has been circulating in some media outlets and within ongoing political discussions regarding the unjustified reduction of the presidential nomination process to two specific political parties, as if the constitutional entitlement were confined to a narrow political will.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Hawas stated that such media and political discourse deliberately or mistakenly overlooks the applicable legal and constitutional texts, as well as the rulings of the Federal Supreme Court, which carry absolute authority and are binding on all state institutions. He noted that this narrative is inconsistent with the principle of constitutional supremacy and contradicts the professional role of the media in clarifying constitutional facts to public opinion, instead reproducing serious legal and constitutional errors.

He explained that the Federal Supreme Court’s historic and fair ruling approving the inclusion of four candidates for the post of President of the Republic constitutes a final and binding decision, creating a clear legal, constitutional, and judicial obligation on the Council of Representatives and all political forces without exception. This obligation requires equal treatment of all candidates and prohibits exclusion, discrimination, or disregard, whether in political rhetoric or parliamentary procedures.

Hawas stressed that bypassing or circumventing this ruling represents a blatant violation of the Constitution and an infringement of the principle of separation of powers, in addition to undermining the authority of constitutional judiciary. He further emphasized that compliance with the Federal Supreme Court’s decision must begin with the opening of the parliamentary session dedicated to this constitutional process and continue until its adjournment.

This includes presenting the names of all candidates equally inside the parliamentary chamber, granting each candidate the same amount of time and a fair opportunity to introduce themselves and present their presidential programs to lawmakers, and clearly displaying all names publicly on the approved board inside the hall. Any breach of these fair procedural rules, he warned, constitutes a clear constitutional violation that strips the process of its legal substance and places the Council of Representatives before a serious constitutional responsibility that cannot be justified politically or through media narratives.