Iraqi Parliament adjourns amid chaos: Failure to elect Speaker leads to physical altercations

Shafaq News / As speculated, and in a recurring scenario, the Iraqi Parliament adjourned its session on Saturday evening to an unspecified date after failing to reach a decisive third round in the election of its president.

The competition remained intense between the Siyada bloc’s Salem Al-Issawi and the Taqadum Bloc-backed Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani.

The scene did not differ much from January 3, 2024, as leaked by MPs about today's session, marked by verbal altercations, and physical scuffles, reminiscent of events witnessed and reported five months ago, orchestrated by members of the Taqadum Party under the leadership of Mohammed Al-Halbousi.

MPs' smartphones captured heated verbal exchanges and physical confrontations between members of the Taqadum Party and colleagues from other blocs over the election of the parliament's president.

Mishaan al-Jubouri, a leader in the Siyada Party, posted on the X, " When the quorum reached 190 deputies, Taqadum’s MPs set up a barrier between the seats and the presidency platform."

Al-Jubouri added that "MP Haibat Al-Halbousi from Taqadum assaulted Muthanna Al-Samarrai, the head of the Azm bloc, prompting MP Ahmed al-Jubouri to strike Haibat."

This incident highlights the tensions and physical confrontations that marred the proceedings during the parliament's session.

Prior to this, MPs from Taqadum demanded amendments to the parliament's internal regulations before proceeding with the voting round, fearing Salem Al-Issawi's potential victory in the third round, according to a parliamentary source.

While the quorum was complete, several Taqadum MPs opposed proceeding with the vote unless the internal regulations of the parliament were amended.

These demands led to chaos inside the council, escalating later into physical brawls and verbal abuse between MPs from the Taqadum Party and others from different blocs, as shown in leaked footage.

Yet again, the Iraqi Parliament failed to elect a new president in its second round of voting, which saw intense competition between Al-Issawii and Al-Mashhadani. The former garnered 158 votes while the latter received 137 votes.

Against the backdrop of this vote convergence, a state of division prevailed among political blocs. The Siyada and Al-Azm, alongside others aligned with them, as well as MPs supporting Salem Al-Issawi, insisted on continuing the session and initiating a third round to elect a new parliament president.

However, other blocs, including the State of Law, Taqadum, and Al-Sadara, supporting Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani for the parliament presidency, pushed for postponing the session to a later date, according to a parliamentary source.

Notably, on November 14, 2023, the Federal Supreme Court, the highest judicial authority in Iraq, decided to end the membership of Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi. Then, the Iraqi Parliament officially terminated his membership on November 21, 2023.

On January 13, the Iraqi Parliament held an extraordinary session to choose the new Speaker. However, due to verbal altercations inside the council hall, the session was adjourned without completing the election process.

Nearly half a year after the dismissal of Al-Halbousi, the parliamentary council has again failed, for the fifth time, to settle the issue, thereby stalling the enactment of crucial legislation.