Powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in August called on the judiciary to dissolve the parliament in light of its failure to form Iraq’s next cabinet. The judiciary responded to Sadr’s demands saying the body lacks the authority to interfere in the legislative or executive processes to do so.
Lawsuits were filed by enraged Sadrist supporters, echoing the demands of their leader. The supreme court was initially set to review the lawsuits last week but the session was adjourned to Wednesday.
The federal court once again reiterated that there is no constitutional gap when it comes to dissolving the legislature as the mechanism to dissolve the parliament is laid out in the 2005 Iraqi constitution, and is not part of the court’s authority.
Article 64 of the Iraqi constitution stipulates that the dissolution of the parliament can only be done through an absolute majority of its members, or upon the request of one-third of its members.
“Once elected, members of the Council of Representatives [parliament] do not represent themselves nor their political blocs, but rather they represent the people. Therefore, they were required to work towards achieving what they were elected for, which is the people’s interest, not to be a reason to obstruct their [people’s] interests and threaten their safety and the integrity of the country as a whole,” read a statement from the court following the session, adding that stabilizing the political process in Iraq requires all sides to abide by the constitutional provisions.
Iraq was pulled into chaos after Sadr announced his “definitive retirement” from politics last week, inciting deadly clashes between his supporters and loyalists of rival Iran-backed militias which claimed the lives of at least 30 people and injured over 500 others.
Uncertainty reigns supreme in Iraq as the country is currently in the midst of a deepening political crisis, having failed to form a new government almost a year after the early elections in October.
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