Last Saturday’s session, intended to elect a new parliament speaker, turned into a “real battle” following heated verbal altercations between lawmakers that escalated into chaotic brawls, resulting in some MPs being injured. The issue of selecting the individual who will wield the gavel of the presidency has become a formidable challenge.
On Monday, Sunni political entities revealed a heightened state of tension within the Sunni bloc, while the Coordination Framework warned of the parliament becoming an arena for disputes and conflicts.
According to the political convention in Iraq since the establishment of the political system after 2003, the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives is reserved for Sunnis, while the positions of Prime Minister and President are designated for Shia and Kurds, respectively.
Abdul Rahim Al-Shammari, a Sunni MP, stated in a comment followed by “Al-Alam Al-Jadeed” that “the situation within the Sunni bloc is extremely tense, and it is not expected that the atmosphere will be eased between the conflicting parties.”
He added, “Any faction within the Sunni component that obtains the parliamentary majority for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives will face significant challenges, leading to the continuation of strong disagreements.”
Al-Shammari ruled out the continuation of Mohsen Al-Mandalawi as acting speaker, predicting “the intervention of political parties from other components to ease the atmosphere and proceed with selecting a new speaker for the parliament.”
Last Saturday, the parliament failed for the fifth time to elect a new speaker after it was unable to hold a decisive third round to tip the scales in favor of either candidate, MP Salem Al-Issawi from the Sovereignty Party, or Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, supported by the Taqadum Party.
Additionally, on Monday, Hassan Fadam, a leader in the Coordination Framework, warned of the parliament turning into an arena for conflicts and disputes, urging Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani to withdraw in favor of the candidate for the speaker’s position, Salem Al-Issawi.
Fadam stated in a comment followed by “Al-Alam Al-Jadeed” that “after the session to elect the parliament speaker on Saturday, Al-Mashhadani has no choice but to withdraw in favor of candidate Al-Issawi because, even if he becomes speaker through imposition, pressure, and coercion of MPs by their blocs, the parliament will only become an arena for conflicts and disputes for the remainder of its term and will not be able to perform any legislative or oversight role at all.”
Fadam confirmed that “there is no political entity, especially within the Coordination Framework, that desires Mohsen Al-Mandalawi to remain as Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament. Everyone believes that the political system’s balance will be disrupted, and the desire for political stability outweighs the desire for Al-Mandalawi’s continuance. Therefore, it is necessary to expedite the election of a new speaker.”
The Coordination Framework, the largest alliance within the House of Representatives, holds about 140 out of 329 seats, giving it the ability to tip the scales in favor of one candidate over another for the speaker’s position, which has been vacant for about six months and is currently held by interim speaker Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, a deputy from the Coordination Framework.
Informed sources revealed on Sunday that the division during Saturday’s session stemmed from the escalating dispute between State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. The former supports Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani for the position, while the latter insists on backing Al-Issawi through his parliamentary bloc, which has grown to about 30 MPs since he assumed the premiership.
The sources added that “Al-Sudani’s insistence on supporting Al-Issawi is due to his unwillingness to see Al-Mashhadani take the position, as it would mean encircling and restricting his government’s work, influenced by Al-Maliki, who fears granting Al-Sudani free rein in service, political, and economic aspects to achieve electoral gains in the upcoming legislative elections.”
The voting saw a fierce competition between MPs Salem Al-Issawi and Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, with the former receiving 158 votes and the latter 137 votes. MP Amer Abdul Jabbar received 3 votes, while 13 votes were invalid. A total of 311 MPs out of 329 cast their votes in the first round, which began at 4 PM Baghdad time last Saturday.
Parliament has failed in four attempts to elect a replacement for Al-Halbousi due to a lack of consensus on a single candidate amidst Sunni fragmentation and the Coordination Framework’s insistence on nominating new figures or keeping interim speaker Mohsen Al-Mandalawi.
The Federal Supreme Court had ruled in November 2023 to terminate the membership of Speaker Mohammad Al-Halbousi following a lawsuit filed against him by MP Laith Al-Dulaimi, accusing him of falsifying his resignation, resulting in the termination of both memberships.
