Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq’s Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee announced on Saturday that it had finalized the draft of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Authority Law and submitted it to the parliament’s presidency.

Committee member Mohammed al-Shammari told Shafaq News that lawmakers have gathered signatures pressing the Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani’s office to add the bill to the next session’s agenda.

Al-Shammari claimed that “external interventions” were attempting to obstruct parliament and delay the vote but affirmed that such pressures “will not weaken the resolve of the representatives of the Iraqi people” to move forward with the measure alongside other pending legislation.

The proposed law seeks to regulate the PMF, a powerful umbrella of armed groups integrated into Iraq’s security apparatus after the 2014 war with ISIS. Supporters argue it secures fighters’ rights, while critics warn it could formalize the influence of the groups beyond full state control.

A source within the Coordination Framework, the main Shia political bloc backing the PMF, said the bill’s passage depends on convincing a handful of “hesitant” political forces. Some MPs have also urged the speaker’s office to penalize members who continue to skip this week’s sessions.

Parliament’s media office previously announced that meetings would resume Monday through Wednesday with a three-day agenda, though the PMF draft did not appear on the schedule.

Legislative activity has been frozen since August 5, when a dispute erupted between Speaker al-Mashhadani and Deputy Speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi over authority to chair sessions. The deadlock has blocked progress on several major bills, including the PMF Law, as political blocs shift their attention to election campaigns.