Kurdish politician Fouad Massoum has been named the new president of Iraq following a parliamentary vote.
Massoum, 76, is one of the founders of current President Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party. He gained 211 votes out of the total 269 voters. His rival, Hussein Al-Mossawi snatched 17 votes.
The vote for president -- a largely ceremonial post -- was delayed for a day when the Kurdish bloc requested more time to select a candidate. They named Massoum as their pick late Wednesday.