ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and acting parliament speaker Muhsin al-Mandalawi on Sunday discussed the need for further cooperation between the government and the legislature to serve the interests of the public. Sudani “emphasized the importance of enhancing integration and cooperation between the executive and legislative branches, particularly in the area of enacting legislation and laws that support the government's implementation of its program across various sectors and fields,” according to a statement from his office. Supporting Baghdad’s anti-corruption efforts, economic reforms, and expediting service projects and infrastructure developments were also highlighted during the meeting. The Iraqi parliament has been without a speaker since November after the Federal Supreme Court ruled to revoke Mohammed al-Halbousi’s parliamentary membership and end his tenure as speaker. The Sunni strongman was accused of forging the resignation of another Sunni lawmaker in 2022 by changing the date on the document. Since Halbousi’s sacking, First Deputy Speaker Mandalawi has chaired meetings of the legislature. The parliament currently has no scheduled date to vote on a new speaker. The legislature has unsuccessfully attempted to vote on a new speaker on several occasions.
