Turkish President visit to Iraq: Sunni leaders met Erdogan in Baghdad
Shafaq News/ During his visit to Baghdad, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Sunni political leaders on Monday. The meeting was managed by the Iraqi PM Al- office.
The meeting was attended by prominent figures such as the former Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi, the head of the Al-Siyada party Khamees Al-Khanjar, the head of the Al-Azm coalition Muthanna Al-Samarrai, and the head of the Al-Hasm coalition Raafat Al-Issaoui.
Haider Al-Mulla, a leader in the Al-Azm, revealed to Shafaq News that talks with Erdogan focused on the Turkish-Iraqi political relations that span various ethnic and sectarian groups within Iraq.
"Pressing matters, including the unresolved election of the new Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament and the formation of local government, were discussed." He said.
Al-Mulla said the Sunni leaders highlighted Iraq's external relations, especially with Turkiye, to "cultivate common interests and bolster Iraq's stability."
The Federal Supreme Court, the highest judicial authority in Iraq, decided on November 14, 2023, to terminate Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi's membership. The Iraqi Parliament officially terminated his membership on November 21, 2023.
The decisions came after Deputy Laith Al-Dulaimi sued him. The lawsuit accused Al-Halbousi of forging Al-Dulaimi's resignation from Parliament membership, leading to the Federal Supreme Court's decision to end both memberships.
On January 13, the Iraqi Parliament held an extraordinary session to choose the new Speaker. The first round of voting ended with the victory of the Taqadum" party's Shaalan al-Karim with 152 votes out of 314. MP Salem Al-Issawi followed him with 97 votes, MP Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani with 48 votes, MP Amer Abduljabbar with six votes, and MP Talal Al-Zobaie with one vote.
However, due to verbal altercations inside the council hall, the session was adjourned without completing the election process, and no other session was held.
Since then, the political blocs have been unable to agree on a replacement for him, with each side wanting to nominate someone from their group.
Some lawmakers believe that these differences between the political parties will leave the position of Parliament speaker vacant until the end of the current parliamentary term, and there is no indication that this crisis will be resolved soon.
Despite some parties indicating that the issue would be resolved after Eid al-Fitr, the Iraqi Parliament has failed several times to choose a successor to al-Halbousi.
