Three MPs Lead Deputy Speaker Race

Three MPs have pulled ahead in the race for the vacant first deputy speaker post as rival camps begin counting votes and sounding out allies inside Parliament.

Ahmed Al Salloom, Hisham Al Ashiri and Zainab Abdulameer are now the clearest names in the running, parliamentary sources told The Daily Tribune, as the contest moves from private talk towards a fight for support.

The post has been empty since May, when MPs voted unanimously to strip former first deputy speaker Abdulnabi Salman of his membership.

Since then, talks have spread through the House, with MPs testing support, weighing alliances and seeking enough votes to put a candidate over the line

Ms Abdulameer has emerged as the leading woman in the race, while Al Salloom and Al Ashiri are also understood to have built strong groups of supporters.

The field is far from fixed.

Jalal Kadhem, Mohammed Salman Al Ahmed, Abdullah Al Rumaihi, Dr Muneer Suroor and Mohammed Al Olaiwi are also being discussed as possible contenders, alongside MPs Jaleela Alawi Al Sayed and Basema Mubarak.

Sources said several names have already begun calling colleagues and seeking pledges of support. Some have made greater headway than others, giving the first signs of how the vote could break.

At the same time, MPs are sounding out the chances of agreeing on one candidate who can command support across several groups and avoid a split field.

No contender has yet made a final declaration, leaving room for late entries, withdrawals and deals between parliamentary blocs.

The outcome is likely to turn on alliances and raw vote numbers as MPs work out which candidate can draw the widest support.

Sources said the race remains open, but the next round of talks is expected to narrow the field and give a clearer sense of who has the votes to take the post.