Iraq's parliament speaker faces potential ouster amid election law vote rumpus

Shafaq News/ Independent lawmaker divulged plans by fellow parliamentarians to unseat Speaker Mohammad al-Halboosi, following a contentious voting session on the election law in the early hours of Monday.

The move has reportedly mustered the backing of Kurdish and Sunni parties.

Hadi al-Salami, the independent lawmaker who disclosed the information to Shafaq News Agency, recounted that independent MPs had convened to discuss the ramifications of the controversial events that took place during the session.

The attendees, according to al-Salami, ultimately determined that they would endeavor to amass signatures in order to petition for Speaker al-Halbousi's dismissal.

Al-Salami expounded that the independent lawmakers garnered "endorsement from several members from Kurdish and Sunni blocs." Nevertheless, "the [Shiite] Coordination Framework repudiates the notion."

In light of these developments, al-Salami revealed, "we have proceeded with collecting signatures from approving colleagues and will submit the motion to the parliament's presidium, adhering to internal regulations, in order to enlist a clause on al-Halboosi's dismissal on the agenda of an upcoming session."

The parliament passed early Monday controversial amendments to the country's election law that could undermine the chances for smaller parties and independent candidates to win seats in future polls.

The amendments increase the size of electoral districts, a move widely backed by the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Iran-backed parties. The coalition forms the majority bloc in the current parliament, which brought Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to power last year.

The bill passed in a 206-12 vote in the 329-seat assembly, according to media reports. The remaining lawmakers were absent from the hourslong session, which started on Sunday night.

The amendments also reverse key articles passed ahead of the 2021 federal election and redraw the electoral maps to have Iraq return to one electoral district per each governorate.

Several Iraqi political blocs and independent parliamentarians had rejected the amendments and stalled the vote for weeks. Hundreds of protesters gathered over the past weeks to voice their opposition.

Independent lawmakers who objected to the law walked out of a previous session, causing it to be postponed due to a lack of quorum. They attempted to stall the vote again overnight by protesting and disturbing the count, before Iraqi security forces escorted them out of the assembly hall.