Iraq’s parliament restructures committees and fills administrative posts
Shafaq News– Baghdad
Iraq’s newly elected parliament has begun formal steps to organize its internal work, forming committees and assigning interim leadership as part of preparations for the next phase of government formation, a political source told Shafaq News on Wednesday.
According to the source, a joint committee composed of lawmakers and leaders of political blocs has been established to oversee the distribution of MPs across parliamentary committees. The committees are expected to operate temporarily, with adjustments planned after the new government is formed.
Speaking to Shafaq News, Mohammed Al-Baldaoui, a lawmaker from the Sadiqoon Movement led by Qais Al-Khazali, said the current parliament has 25 standing committees, adding that proposals are under review to divide some of them, which could raise the number to 27.
Al-Baldaoui noted that parliamentary blocs have reached an understanding granting them a 10-day period to nominate their members and assign them to the committees. He explained that the selection of permanent committee chairs is expected to take longer, as it is linked to the formation of the new government and broader power-sharing arrangements within parliament. Until then, “committees will be chaired by their oldest members.”
Separately, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) completed the allocation of the remaining parliamentary seats, declaring substitute candidates winners in Baghdad, Saladin, Diyala, Nineveh, Karbala, and Babil after finalizing the required legal and technical procedures in line with constitutional requirements.
Parliament opened its first session on December 29, during which Haibet Al-Halbousi was elected speaker, alongside Adnan Fayhan as first deputy and Farhad Atrushi as second deputy.
During a second session held earlier this week, two lawmakers —Ivan Faiq Jabro, an independent MP elected under the Christian quota, and Kolsel Muhammad of the Unified Iraqi Turkmen Front— assumed their roles as parliamentary secretaries, although a formal decision from parliament’s leadership has yet to be issued.
Read more: Iraq begins 90-day countdown to form government as political fault lines re-emerge
