Iraqi Parliament's new session to sideline controversial laws, focus on key legislation

Shafaq News/ The first session of the new legislative term, set to begin on Jan. 9, will not include the approval of "controversial laws," as stated by Arif Al-Hamami, a member of the Parliamentary Legal Committee, on Thursday.

Al-Hamami clarified that "there are many important laws that the House of Representatives will work on approving, with the most prominent being the Personal Status Law, the General Amnesty Law, and Property Restitution Law."

"The agenda for the first session of the new legislative term will not include the approval of these contentious laws until political blocs reach an agreement to pass them in subsequent sessions."

The parliament has previously failed to pass several controversial bills, including the Property Restitution Law demanded by the Kurds, the Personal Status Law proposed by the Coordination Framework, and the General Amnesty Law supported by Sunni blocs.

The Property Restitution Law aims to return properties to their original owners affected by the decisions of the dissolved Revolutionary Command Council.

Kurdish lawmakers and officials assert that the bill concerns properties returned to their original Kurdish and Turkmen owners, which were confiscated under eight decisions issued by the council between 1975 and 1979, aimed at demographic changes in disputed areas.

Furthermore, the proposed amendments to the Iraqi Personal Status Law No. 188 of 1959 have sparked significant debate within parliament and among civil society organizations, with supporters and opponents divided over issues related to marriage, divorce, inheritance, and child custody.

Simultaneously, Sunni parliamentary and political forces emphasize the necessity of passing the General Amnesty Law, which is opposed by Shiite forces fearing the release of detainees accused of terrorism.