Source: Parliament figures meet to address controversial laws, including Personal Status Law

Shafaq News/ A meeting is currently being held between the Iraqi Acting Parliament Speaker, Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, the Deputy Speaker, Shakhwan Abdullah, and the leaders of political blocs at the office of the "Sadikoun" parliamentary bloc to discuss controversial laws, a parliamentary source reported on Tuesday.

The source told Shafaq News, "The meeting is discussing the agreement to include the controversial laws for a vote in Wednesday and Thursday sessions,” indicating that “there are many laws disputed in parliament, including the Personal Status Law, the General Amnesty Law, and the Law on the Property Restitution Law.”

The amendment of the Personal Status Law has sparked widespread debate within Iraqi society, with both opponents and supporters voicing their opinions. The government has decided to discuss all the concerns raised about it through the Supreme Council for Women’s Affairs.

Opponents argue that the amendment permits child marriage and deprives wives of their rights to alimony and custody, in addition to relying on the religious texts of each sect and denomination as a reference for rulings instead of existing laws.

Since the formation of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s government, the General Amnesty Law has faced an uncertain fate. While political consensus exists around its passage, observers suggest that certain political factions, particularly from the Shiite Coordination Framework, are deliberately delaying the law despite earlier promises made to Sunni parties as a condition for their participation in the government.

The Amnesty Law remains a key demand of Sunni blocs, who insisted on its passage during negotiations to form the current government, which includes Shiite, Kurdish, and Sunni groups. Sunni lawmakers argue that the law, along with security reviews in their governorates, is a central part of the government's platform.

Regarding the Property Restitution Law, Kurdish MPs and officials state that the bill pertains to properties that are returned to their original owners from the Kurds and Turkmen, which were confiscated under eight decisions issued by the dissolved Revolutionary Command Council between 1975 and 1979, aimed at conducting demographic changes in disputed areas.