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Iraq
Mohammed al-Halbousi speaking at his Taqadum Party electoral campaign in Baghdad on November 13, 2023. Photo: Halbousi's office
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The influential Sunni Taqadum Party on Tuesday announced its withdrawal from the Iraqi government following the dismissal of its leader Mohammed al-Halbousi from the parliament by Iraq’s top court earlier in the day.
The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court ruled to revoked Halbousi’s parliamentary membership and end his tenure as the speaker of the legislature after he was accused of forging a document.
Taqadum Party, which is the largest Sunni bloc at the parliament, said in a statement late Tuesday that it has decided to withdraw from Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s cabinet, ordering planning, industry and tourism and culture ministers to resign.
It added that it will no longer attend meetings with the ruling State Administration Coalition, which is dominated by Shiite parties and includes Kurdish largest parties as well.
Taqadum parliamentarians will resign from parliamentary committees and will boycott the legislature’s future sessions, stated the party.
The court ruling came after another Sunni parliamentarian and former member of the Taqadum Party Laith al-Dulaimi filed a lawsuit against Halbousi, accusing him of forging his resignation from the parliament in 2022.
Halbousi was re-elected as the speaker of the parliament in January last year. He is also a former governor of Iraq’s Sunni-majority Anbar province.
Speaking during a parliamentary session on Tuesday, Halbousi deemed the court ruling "weird," adding that he will "resort to measures to preserve constitutional rights" without elaborating.
The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court ruled to revoked Halbousi’s parliamentary membership and end his tenure as the speaker of the legislature after he was accused of forging a document.
Taqadum Party, which is the largest Sunni bloc at the parliament, said in a statement late Tuesday that it has decided to withdraw from Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s cabinet, ordering planning, industry and tourism and culture ministers to resign.
It added that it will no longer attend meetings with the ruling State Administration Coalition, which is dominated by Shiite parties and includes Kurdish largest parties as well.
Taqadum parliamentarians will resign from parliamentary committees and will boycott the legislature’s future sessions, stated the party.
The court ruling came after another Sunni parliamentarian and former member of the Taqadum Party Laith al-Dulaimi filed a lawsuit against Halbousi, accusing him of forging his resignation from the parliament in 2022.
Halbousi was re-elected as the speaker of the parliament in January last year. He is also a former governor of Iraq’s Sunni-majority Anbar province.
Speaking during a parliamentary session on Tuesday, Halbousi deemed the court ruling "weird," adding that he will "resort to measures to preserve constitutional rights" without elaborating.
Iraq will hold provincial council elections on December 18, the first of their kind since 2013. The term of the electoral commission is set to expire on December 7. If the parliament fails to extends the commission's term before this date, the fragile vote could be further delayed.
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