Shafaq News- Baghdad

An agreement had been reached before the latest parliamentary session to postpone appointments to senior positions until the issues of the presidency and the prime ministership were resolved, a lawmaker from Al-Azm bloc, led by Muthanna Al-Samarrai, said on Tuesday.

In a press conference, MP Ayad Al-Jubori revealed that the item to vote on the positions of Baghdad Mayor and Army Chief of Staff was added after the session had already begun, adding that the move prompted the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament and several lawmakers to withdraw from the session, “rejecting the addition of the item to the council’s agenda.”

Al-Jubori accused Parliament Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi of “attempting to pass the item despite an incomplete legal quorum,” warning that such “individual decisions” would negatively affect the performance of Parliament.

In its latest session, the Iraqi Parliament confirmed the continuation of Baghdad Mayor Ammar Musa Kazem and Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah in their posts.

Another lawmaker from Al-Azm bloc, Ali Al-Matyouti, said that repeating such measures “comes at the expense of the principle of national balance,” holding Al-Halbousi responsible for “relinquishing these entitlements and failing to take into account the requirements of national balance.”

Al-Matyouti called for “a serious review of this path and its correction,” stating that safeguarding the rights of Iraq’s components and maintaining political partnership are essential pillars for the stability of the political process and for strengthening citizens’ trust in constitutional institutions.