Political standoff in Iraqi Parliament: Debate over postponing Speaker election continues
Shafaq News / A parliamentary source revealed, on Saturday, the latest developments regarding the session to elect a new parliament speaker, which concluded its second round with a fierce competition between the Siyada Party's candidate Salem Al-Issawi and the Taqadum Party-backed candidate Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani.
The source informed Shafaq News Agency that "discussions within the session indicated division within the Coordination Framework bloc, with some advocating to continue today's session for electing the speaker, while others prefer to adjourn and hold the election on another day."
The source clarified that "Al-Azm Alliance, others within the Framework, along with other deputies supporting Salem Al-Issawi, are pushing for the continuation of the session and initiating the third round to elect a new parliament speaker."
"Other blocs, including State of Law, Taqadum, and Al-Sadar, who support Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani for the position of parliament speaker, are pushing to postpone the session until further notice, pending agreement and resolution of the Speaker's position."
Earlier today, the Iraqi Parliament failed to elect a new speaker in the second round, which witnessed a close contest between MPs Salem Al-Issawi and Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, with the former receiving 158 votes and the latter 137 votes.
Following this, acting Speaker of Parliament Mohsen Al-Mandlawi allowed members to "take a break," and a decision will be made later whether to proceed to a third round or adjourn the session until further notice.
Political circles within the Iraqi Parliament are cautiously awaiting the outcome of the session to elect a new Speaker, nearly half a year after the removal of former Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi.
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.
