Shafaq News

Iraq’s sixth parliamentary term has barely begun. Yet, early signs of dysfunction are already raising a familiar question: can the new legislature avoid the paralysis that crippled previous parliaments, or is it already drifting toward the same cycle of delay and obstruction?

The concern goes beyond routine teething problems. Parliament formally entered its sixth term on December 29, 2025, after all 853 electoral appeals were resolved. Analysts caution that without genuine political consensus among major blocs, initial procedural momentum could quickly give way to stalled sessions, absent lawmakers, and delayed legislation —patterns that have repeatedly weakened Iraq’s legislative institution.

Read more: Iraq’s weakest parliament since 2003

Political analyst Mujashaa Al-Tamimi told Shafaq News that the risks are tangible. “Credible reports are predicting legislative paralysis, failure to reach quorum in a number of sessions, and repeated postponement of important sittings and laws, as happened in previous periods,” he explained, stressing that disputes among political blocs remain the main driver of inertia.

Al-Tamimi added that MPs’ absences are often deliberate, used as a pressure tactic to block quorum or extract concessions on specific bills. “Party leaderships control MPs’ decisions at the expense of the national interest,” he observed, noting that substantive legislative work remains limited while political rivalry continues to erode parliament’s ability to implement effective policy.

Official records reinforce these warnings, especially between January 2022 and the end of its term in November 2025, the previous legislature held just 148 sessions —less than 51% of its mandated workload. That performance ranked the fifth parliamentary term as the weakest since 2010, highlighting how absenteeism and delayed sessions have become entrenched features of Iraq’s political system rather than temporary lapses.

Read more: Iraq's new parliament: Defining the next decade

Historical precedent also underscores the difficulty of breaking these patterns. After the March 2010 elections, disputes over the largest parliamentary bloc delayed government formation for seven months and 18 days. In 2020, Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi withdrew after being tasked with forming a government following Adel Abdul Mahdi’s resignation. Following the October 2021 elections, Iraq endured one of its longest deadlocks, with government formation postponed for more than nine months until Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s cabinet secured approval in October 2022.

These episodes are cited not merely as background, but as a cautionary framework: each began with procedural delays that later hardened into prolonged paralysis.

Amid these concerns, some lawmakers urge restraint in judging the new term too quickly. Amer Al-Fayez, head of the Tasmeem Alliance, observed that the sixth term has opened with “early sessions that are promising in terms of seriousness at work,” expressing hope that the current parliament will outperform its predecessors.

Al-Fayez also noted a backlog of major legislation awaiting action, including the Federal Oil and Gas Law, the Federal Supreme Court Law, and bills aimed at boosting state revenues amid what he described as a severe economic crisis. Addressing those pressures, he argued, “can only be achieved through laws that strengthen state resources.”

Read more: Iraq’s Parliament: High pay, low productivity

Even so, early optimism faces an immediate test. The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Authority Law has already emerged as a focal point for political division, offering a clear indication of whether parliament can overcome entrenched disputes or fall back into familiar tactics of delay.

The PMF Law is more than a routine bill; it concentrates many of the legislature’s underlying fault lines. While some MPs have begun gathering signatures to advance it, Al-Fayez noted that the speaker and his deputies have yet to agree on a long-term legislative agenda, leaving the law’s trajectory tied to political developments in the coming days.

Inside parliament, lawmaker Shaker Abu Turab Al-Tamimi of the Badr parliamentary bloc confirmed that a request bearing the signatures of around 60 MPs has been submitted, while noting that some Coordination Framework MPs —including figures who founded PMF brigades— declined to sign. He added that parties refusing to vote would be publicly identified.

The draft law seeks to regulate the PMF’s institutional structure, leadership hierarchy, and administrative framework within the state. Its repeated postponement reflects not only internal disagreements over authority and oversight, but also the influence of external pressures.

The United States has expressed opposition to the Law, while Iran has shown greater acceptance. That external divide has translated into internal hesitation, turning the bill into a litmus test of parliament’s capacity to legislate under competing pressures.

MP Mansour Al-Baiji of the Development and Reconstruction Coalition, led by caretaker PM Al-Sudani, affirmed that lawmakers intend to move forward after completing key political steps, asserting that the sixth term will seek to pass laws stalled in previous cycles due to political disputes.

Read more: Iraq’s PMF Law: A battle for state control

Urging political forces to “put the country’s interest ahead of party and factional interests,” he argued that Iraq’s challenges can only be addressed through genuine political consensus.

Whether such a consensus can materialize remains uncertain. As Al-Tamimi cautioned, early absenteeism, delayed prioritization, and unresolved disputes over divisive legislation mirror the same warning signs that preceded past failures. The handling of the PMF Authority Law —particularly parliament’s ability to maintain quorum and reach a decision— may provide the clearest early indication of whether the sixth term can break with precedent or slide back into the paralysis that has defined Iraq’s recent legislative history.

Written and edited by Shafaq News staff.