Iraq parliament elects Sunni lawmaker Al-Halbousi as speaker, breaking deadlock

SULAIMANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament elected Sunni lawmaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi as speaker on Saturday, marking the first step towards establishing the new government four months after an inconclusive national election.

Parliament was due to elect a speaker and two deputies during its first meeting on Sept 3, but failed to do so as lawmakers were still trying to determine which competing bloc had the most seats.

(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; writing by Raya Jalabi; editing by Jason Neely)