Shafaq News- Baghdad

Legal action has been filed against caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and Higher Education Minister Naeem Al-Aboud over the government’s decision to establish Al-Ma’rifa Private Institute for Graduate Studies, a lawmaker said on Monday.

In a statement, MP Haider Al-Mutairee of the Ishraqat Kanoon bloc noted that the case was submitted to the competent court to overturn the decision, arguing that the institute “was established in violation of laws and regulations.” A request for an injunction, he added, has also been filed to halt all procedures related to the institute until a judicial ruling is issued, stressing the need to adhere to legal requirements and licensing standards for academic institutions.

Last month, the Iraqi Cabinet approved the establishment of Al-Ma’rifa Private Institute for Graduate Studies in Baghdad under Decision No. 997 of 2025. The institute is scheduled to open in the 2025–2026 academic year, offering postgraduate programs at the diploma, master’s, and doctoral levels in medical, engineering, technical, administrative, and legal fields.

After Iraq concluded its sixth parliamentary elections in November 2025, Al-Sudani’s government entered a caretaker phase, a status that takes effect automatically under Federal Supreme Court rulings, most notably Decision 235/2022, which defines such a cabinet as limited to urgent, non-deferrable measures needed to keep state institutions functioning. Under these constraints, the government cannot propose legislation, contract loans, make or dismiss senior appointments, or restructure ministries —powers reserved for a fully mandated administration— while the Cabinet’s internal bylaw (Article 42 of Regulation No. 2 of 2019) specifies that a caretaker government remains in office only to manage daily operations until a successor is sworn in.