Iraq
Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr speaking at a press conference in Najaf, Iraq, on November 18, 2021. Photo: AP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The tripartite alliance will be expecting an “honorable stand” from Iraq's independent MPs on Saturday’s parliamentary session, according to a statement from the leader of the Sadrist Movement on Friday, adding that “it is shameful for Iraq and its people to be left without a government.”
The Iraqi parliament is set to elect a president of the republic on Saturday, with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)’s Reber Ahmed competing against the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)’s Barham Salih. Concerns regarding the session not being able to meet the legal quorum have been raised, as the Coordination Framework intends on boycotting the parliamentary meeting.
“We are waiting for the independent MPs, and we hope from them, and even the national opposition, an honorable stand for the sake of their people,” read the statement from influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Sadr, one of the key players of the Save the Homeland Alliance, urged the independent MPs to attend Saturday’s session and prove their independence by abstaining from the vote, instead of proving the opposite by not attending at all. If the independent MPs decide to boycott the session and the legal quorum is not met, Sadr fears that “it may be the end of Parliament.”
There is no constitutional or legal clause that permits any side to dissolve the parliament, aside from the mechanisms articulated in article 64 of the constitution, which requires an absolute majority to carry out that procedure.
According to Article 64 of the 2005 Iraqi constitution, “The Council of Representatives [parliament] may be dissolved by an absolute majority of the number of its members, or upon the request of one-third of its members by the Prime Minister with the consent of the President of the Republic.”
“So let the government and the opposition stand together to build a free and independent homeland with prestige, sovereignty and dignity, without occupation, normalization or terrorism,” added Sadr, stressing that the upcoming government will not be the same as its predecessors.
The tripartite alliance between the Sadrist Movement, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance on Wednesday announced their nomination for the Iraqi presidency, selecting the KDP's Reber Ahmed.
The alliance led by the Coordination Framework, which also includes the PUK, consists of over 100 MPs who persist in pushing for a government based on political consensus. This approach has been repeatedly opposed by the Sadrist bloc, who seek the formation of a majority government with their allies in the tripartite alliance.
Iraq held early elections on October 10. The vote was called in response to mass protests in the country beginning in October 2019, caused by widespread dissatisfaction with Iraq's politicians and endemic corruption in the country.
By Chenar Chalak
Updated at 9:33 am
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