Shafaq News– Baghdad
Iraq’s government “unlawfully” obstructed a parliamentary session set to debate disputed economic measures, Turkmen lawmaker Arshad Al-Salihi told Shafaq News on Monday.
Al-Salihi said deputies were present from 11 a.m. for the scheduled sitting, but it was postponed on claims that a quorum was not met, despite what he described as sufficient attendance. He said the reasons for the delay were unclear and amounted to a legal violation, blaming the absence of government officials, notably the Ministerial Council for the Economy, who failed to appear to explain the decisions.
Another lawmaker, Doha Al-Bahadli, clarified that more than 200 of parliament’s 329 deputies were present.
The session was due to review measures adopted by the caretaker cabinet, including the cancellation of university service allowances for holders of advanced degrees working outside their academic specializations, a move Al-Salihi called illogical and poorly assessed. Protests and strikes by those affected continued for a second day today in Baghdad, Najaf, Basra, Dhi Qar, Maysan, Al-Anbar, and Nineveh over the decision, Shafaq News correspondent said.
Separately, deputy Yusuf Al-Kilabi said at a news conference that some of the measures under review affected livelihoods and included “unconstitutional” provisions, urging their suspension until a new government is formed.
Parliament’s leadership later announced the session would be postponed until Tuesday, delaying scrutiny of the economic and salary-related decisions approved by the caretaker government of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.