“Cosmetic gesture”: Iraqi Parliament urged to break deadlock as laws accumulate
Shafaq News – Baghdad
A growing number of key draft laws remain stalled in Iraq’s parliament, prompting a renewed call for action as the current legislative term approaches its final phase.
Among the pending legislation, MP Mohammed al-Khafaji listed amendments to the Law on Compensation for Victims of War Operations, Military Mistakes and Terrorist Operations (Law No. 20 of 2009), alongside updates to laws governing amputee rights, employee discipline, and the Penal Code.
Another deferred law is the controversial Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) law, which seeks broader security reform by standardizing ranks, regulating funding, and integrating the force into the military chain of command.
Al-Khafaji urged the speakership to convene exceptional sessions starting November 22 to finalize the pending laws, stressing that parliament must fulfill its legislative and oversight duties until the end of the current term in early January 2026.
Legal and constitutional expert Salem Hawas, however, described these last-minute calls as “insufficient to remedy years of legislative stagnation.” He told Shafaq News that Article 58 of the Constitution allows the speaker or 50 MPs of the 329 lawmakers to summon an exceptional session for a specific purpose, but warned that this provision should not be used as “a cover to pass laws that remained frozen for four years and then suggest that parliament is performing its duties at the last moment.”
Read more: No end in sight: Iraq's Parliament drowns in delays and disagreements
Hawas added that the late push for emergency sessions does not absolve parliament of its political and constitutional responsibility for the delays, nor does it justify advancing complex legislation without adequate debate or expert consultation. Exceptional sittings, he noted, are a constitutional right, but “should not become a cosmetic gesture in the final days of the term.”
The debate comes as the chamber continues to struggle with paralysis. In late September, parliament failed to hold a session dedicated to voting on 11 draft laws due to a lack of quorum, and it has not met since. A Shafaq News review in April 2025 found that the fifth parliamentary session had completed only 51 percent of its required sittings—132 sessions since January 2022, far below the mandated level—with some MPs blaming infighting among dominant blocs.
Despite the deadlock, the current term has seen the passage of several notable laws. These include the Property Restitution Law, aimed at returning lands confiscated under Saddam Hussein’s regime to their original owners, primarily Kurds and Turkmen; the General Amnesty Law, which grants pardons for a range of offenses except terrorism, murder, and other serious crimes; and the Personal Status Law, which expands the authority of Islamic courts over family matters such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance.
Read more: Iraq’s Controversial Personal Status Law: The future of girls at a crossroads
