BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Saleem Jaboori, called Thursday’s voting session which decided to remove him from office “unlawful” and “against the country’s constitution.” Speaking to reporters at the parliament building in Baghdad, Jaboori said the voting was an effort to destabilize the security condition and spark disorder in the country. In an unexpected move earlier on Thursday, 171 of parliament’s 328 members called for the removal of the speaker and his two deputies. The parliament was originally scheduled to host Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and vote on his new cabinet members. But the session instead focused on the parliament speaker and his two deputies as lawmakers were asked to vote on the subject. “I have no objections if the parliament wants me to leave my position but the vote was both inconclusive and unconstitutional,” Jaboori said. Jabbori, a Sunni, has been in office since July 2014 since a deal was reached among Iraq’s fragmented political factions which put Abadi, a Shiite, in charge of the government after former prime minister, Nuri al-Malki, was forced out of office in September 2014. Abadi’s new government has faced great challenges even before today’s parliament voting with Kurdistan region and Sunni factions threatening to boycott it.
