Iraqi parliament elects Kurdish politician Barham Salih as president

"I promise to safeguard Iraq's unity and safety," Salih said as he was sworn in.

Iraq's presidency, traditionally occupied by a Kurd, is a largely ceremonial position but the vote is a key step toward forming a new government, which politicians have failed to do since an inconclusive national election in May.

"Today is a remarkable day for Iraq. Democracy won," said lawmaker Rebwar Taha of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the party that nominated Salih.

Under Iraq's constitution, Salih has 15 days to invite the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc to form a government. The prime minister-designate would have 30 days to form a cabinet and present it to parliament for approval.

Since Saddam Hussein was toppled in a 2003 U.S.-led invasion, power has been shared among Iraq's three largest ethnic-sectarian components.

The prime minister has traditionally been a Shi'ite Arab, the speaker of parliament a Sunni Arab and the president a Kurd.