Iraq's President Barham Salih said on Tuesday he will run for a second four-year term in office, and called on his fellow politicians to vote for him in next week's parliamentary session.

Mr Salih is among 25 candidates who have been approved by parliament to stand for the largely ceremonial role. The legislative body is scheduled to meet on February 7 to vote for the republic's next president in an important step towards the formation of a new government after October's general election.

The president of the republic “must be a symbol for the unity of the country and its sovereignty, a guardian to its constitution and a president for all Iraqis,” Mr Salih said in a televised speech.

“I'm looking forward to assuming the responsibility once again,” he said, listing his efforts since taking office in 2018 in leading initiatives to draft laws and tackling the challenges Iraq has been facing.

A long-standing agreement among the Kurds usually sees a PUK nominee installed as president, while the KDP is left to run Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.

(Edited by: PUKNOW)