Iraqi parliament elects Sunni Islamist speaker
Posted on: Saturday, 22 April 2006, 08:24 CDT
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament elected Arab Sunni Islamist Mahmoud al-Mashhadani as its speaker on Saturday as politicians began putting together a government after a four-month deadlock.
Mashhadani, a former medical officer in Saddam Hussein's army who was imprisoned by the former leader for joining outlawed Islamist groups, is a member of the largest Sunni alliance.
Shortly before he was elected, the physician was asked by an assembly member about his history. One of the more colorful figures to have appeared in the parliament, Mashhadani explained how he survived a death sentence under the past regime, which accused him of opposing Saddam's war against Iran in the 1980s.
"I actually bribed the head of the Revolutionary Court with 32 million Iraqi dinars ($16,000) to reduce the penalty to 15 years," said Mashhadani.
Source: REUTERS
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