Iraqi Parliament to resume sessions after month-long disruption

Shafaq News/ Iraq’s parliament is set to hold a session on Monday to move forward with key legislation after being stalled for over a month due to disputes surrounding a bill on the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a lawmaker from the Coordination Framework said.

Arif Al-Hamami told Shafaq News Agency that lawmakers would push ahead with their session and expedite the PMF service and retirement law after its first reading. He added that the parliament intends to increase the frequency of sessions in the coming period to compensate for previous disruptions, particularly after the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

The Iraqi Parliament has long struggled to pass legislation due to deep political divisions, quorum issues, and external influences. Contentious laws, including those related to Property Restitution, Personal Status, and General Amnesty, often require complex negotiations among Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish factions to secure passage in bundled agreements.

The PMF law has proven particularly divisive, as it includes retirement benefits for over 3,500 PMF commanders, including the head of the authority, Faleh al-Fayyadh, who have reached retirement age. Disagreements over its provisions led to repeated failures in reaching a consensus.

To ease tensions and avoid further parliamentary deadlock, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani withdrew the PMF service and retirement law from parliament on March 11, according to a source within the Coordination Framework. Sessions had effectively been conditioned on including the law in the parliamentary agenda.