The story: A full year after Iraq’s parliamentary elections, lawmakers have elected Abdul Latif Rashid of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) as president. The vote was held amid strong contention between the PUK and the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) over the position, which has since 2003 been held by Kurds. Immediately following his election, Rashid tasked Muhammad Shia’ Al-Sudani—the Shiite Coordination Framework’s nominee for the premiership—with forming Iraq’s next government.

The coverage: The official Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported on Oct. 13 that Rashid won 162 votes while the incumbent, Barham Salih, gained 99 votes...