The rift began on Sunday when Halbousi referred the names of 15 lawmakers of the National Axis Alliance to the Supreme Anti-Corruption Council for “suspicions related to the election of the new governor of Nineveh.”
Haibat al-Halbousi, an MP close to the speaker, alleged members of the National Axis Alliance had bribed some within the provincial council to vote for their candidate, Mansour Marid.
Mansour Marid was elected governor by Nineveh Provincial Council on Monday.
He is from a group that is politically close to Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and National Security Advisor Falah al-Fayyadh. As the vote took place, residents of the provincial capital Mosul protested outside the council building, alleging the post had been bought.
The two previous governors were both sacked by the parliament. Nawfal Hamadi was ousted after allegations of corruption that swelled when Mosul raged after 150 people were killed in the ferry disaster in March.
The anti-corruption council has launched an investigation into the Nineveh election, MP Hussein Narmo told PUK media. The probe was instigated by a complaint filed by a group of lawmakers and, if evidence of corruption is found, the election of the Nineveh governor will be cancelled, he said.
After Halbousi’s referral of the 15 MPs to the anti-corruption council, the National Axis Alliance hit back, kicking the speaker out of the alliance. Speaker Halbousi’s membership was revoked “due to his efforts to break the alliance apart” and “not committing to the framework and goals [of the alliance],” the alliance announced in a statement on Monday.
The statement went on to say that the National Axis Alliance would attempt to gain support from other MPs to have Halbousi replaced with a more “balanced” speaker in parliament.
Dr. Saad Dhahir al-Qais, deputy governor of Saladin and member of the alliance, confirmed the revocation of Halbousi’s membership, saying it stemmed from allegations that emanated from the prime minister’s office. “There is a complaint filed against him by the prime minister for violations,” Qaisi told Rudaw English. He would not elaborate on the nature of the violations, claiming there was a “blackout” on the issue.
The National Axis Alliance was formed in August 2018 as an attempt to bring Sunni parties together and serve as a counterweight to the country’s Shiite-dominated politics. However, shortly after its formation, cracks in the coalition began to appear.
Some members joined the al-Bina coalition that brought together parties led by cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, former prime minister Haider al-Abadi, and Ammar al-Hakim. The majority however remained close to the pro-Iran bloc dominated by the PMF and headed by Khamis al-Khanjar, a Sunni businessman-turned-politician.
MP Haibat al-Halbousi said they will push for an investigation into the corruption claims.
The dispute means Sunnis in Baghdad are now split into three camps – one working with Sadr’s group, the remnants of the National Axis Alliance in the pro-Iran bloc, and the new group backing the speaker. The fractures could weaken Sunni representation in the federal government, leaving Sunni areas of the country, already ravaged by war with the Islamic State, in even worse shape.
It could also further hamper efforts to fill the post of Minister of Defence, a position reserved for the Sunnis that has been vacant since the government of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi was sworn in last October.
