Iraqi lawmakers elected Industry Minister Hajim al-Hassani, a Sunni Arab as parliament speaker Sunday, ending days of deadlock and moving forward on forming a new government two months after the country's historic elections. Former nuclear scientist Hussain al-Shahristani, a Shiite, and Kurdish leader Aref Taifour were elected as al-Hassani's deputies. The three were chosen by secret ballot, with lawmakers writing three candidates on pieces of paper that were dropped into a box. The ballots were then read out loud and marked down, one-by-one, on a large, white board. The three top candidates _ Al-Hassani with 215 votes; al-Shahristani with 157, and Taifour with 96 _ were elected, according to Jawad al-Maliki of the Shiite-led United Iraqi Alliance. Forty-three parliament members didn't attend Sunday's session, but it wasn't immediately clear why they were absent.
