Iraq’s top court temporarily suspends parliamentary leadership over cases against their election process

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s top court on Thursday ruled to temporarily suspend the recently elected parliamentary head and his deputies following a suit against their election process, although the suspension will not affect the process of electing the president, the second deputy told Rudaw English.

The decision by the Iraqi Federal Court states that they have decided to suspend the work of the parliamentary presidency temporarily until the two cases against their election process is settled.

The cases, filed by MPs Mahmoud al-Mashhadani and Bassim Khazaal on Tuesday, called on the court to suspend the work of the parliamentary head on the grounds that their election process was in violation of the constitution and the parliament’s bylaws.

The decision by the court comes as the period for candidates to run for the Iraqi presidency closed at 3:00 pm on Thursday, with the timings of Iraq’s constitution meaning that the election of the president should therefore take place no later than the end of February 8, 2022.

However the suspension of the parliamentary leadership is not meant to affect the process of electing a president.

“This will not affect the presidential election for it will take its normal course, and these cases are meant to be solved before the parliament decides on a president,” newly elected second deputy of the parliamentary speaker, Kurdistan Democratic Party's (KDP) Shakhawan Abdullah, told Rudaw English on Thursday.

The Iraqi parliament held its first session on Sunday afternoon, almost three months after October’s early election. During the meeting, the head of Taqadum Coalition Mohammed al-Halbousi was re-elected for a second term as speaker of Iraq’s parliament and Sadrist MP Hakim al-Zamli was elected as his first deputy speaker of the body.  

The legislative session had earlier erupted into disorder after the Coordination Framework, an alliance of Shiite factions that continue to object to the election results, submitted a paper claiming they, rather than the Sadrist Movement, now hold the biggest parliamentary bloc with 88 seats, MPs from the scene told Rudaw.

The eldest MP Mashhadani, who was leading the session, was evacuated from the hall after falling ill following the flare-up of tensions and arguments between the blocs.

The Coordination Framework, however, condemned what happened in the session, saying they “will not recognize the outcomes” of it as the eldest member, who is constitutionally required to chair the session, was “absent.”