Al-Halboosi reaffirms: Parliament Speaker should be a member of Taqadum

Shafaq News/ The former Iraqi Parliament Speaker and the Taqadum party head, Mohammad al-Halboosi, reiterated his opposition to appointing a new speaker from outside his party on Friday.

Al-Halboosi told the reporters on the sidelines of the ceremony marking the anniversary of the founding of the Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq movement in Baghdad, "We anticipate reaching a consensus on a candidate for parliament speaker and will be updating the internal regulations soon."

Asked about selecting a candidate for the position from outside Taqadum, al-Halboosi pointed out that his party holds a majority in parliament and has "both political and electoral claims to the position."

Since the prominent Sunni politician's ouster from the legislature in Nov. 2023, his first deputy Mohsen al-Mandalawi—a member of the Shiite Coordination Framework—has assumed his duties.

Notably, the Federal Supreme Court ruled to end Halboosi's speakership following a complaint lodged by a former member of his own bloc over alleged forgery.

Under the ethno-sectarian apportionment system put in place following the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq—known as Muhasasa Ta'ifia in Arabic—the parliament speaker is customarily a Sunni politician. This is while the presidency is presided over by a Kurd and the premiership is controlled by Shiites.

Al-Mandalawi, a Shiite politician, is expected to continue in the post until a Sunni speaker is elected by the parliament. However, until Sunni parties can agree on a replacement, this careful balance of power—held together by agreements made between Sunni and Shiite blocs under Halboosi—is potentially in danger.