BAGHDAD, Oct 13, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Iraqi lawmakers elected Abdel Latif Rashid as new state president Thursday in hopes of ending a year of political gridlock and violence in the war-scarred nation.

Rashid, 78, replaces fellow Iraqi Kurd Barham Saleh as head of state after the two-round vote in parliament, winning more than 160 votes against 99 for Saleh, an assembly official said.