ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdish lawmakers on Monday elected an interim speaker of parliament, an assembly key to regional stability, although the Kurds' second largest party boycotted the vote due to a rift between the main political forces in Iraq's Kurdistan region.
Vala Fareed, nominated by the region's dominant Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), was confirmed in the post by 68 votes. She is the first female speaker in Iraq's Kurdistan region.