Members from various blocs have called for the election of a new speaker for the Iraqi Parliament, urging that the matter not be postponed, as the internal regulations of the parliament stipulate the election of a new speaker following the first session after the position becomes vacant. The head of the "Al-Faw Zakho Gathering" parliamentary bloc, Amer Abdul Jabbar, indicated that "the selection of a replacement for the former speaker is clearly indicated by law, but there has been procrastination in the selection process. According to the internal regulations, Article 12/3 states that the selection of a replacement should occur in the first session following the vacancy of the position. The council has held three exceptional sessions before the elections, which our bloc boycotted because it is essential to choose a new speaker before starting any other sessions," according to the official newspaper Al-Sabah.
He emphasized, "We feel that the delay in selecting a replacement is a process of procrastination. As for the parliament's presidency citing a Federal Court decision 2009/18 that if the presidency position becomes vacant and a session is held without the council being able to elect a replacement during the legislative term, it is permissible for the first deputy to act as president and for sessions to continue until the president is elected, this contradicts reality. The Federal Court's decision at that time came during the legislative term, and we were not in a legislative term. Secondly, the decision covers cases where a session was held to elect the president but the council was unable to do so; however, currently, three exceptional sessions have been held to pass the commission law, so a president will not be elected until next year."
For his part, member of the "Extension" parliamentary bloc, Haidar Al-Salami, clarified that "the internal regulations of the parliament confirm that the first session held after the vacancy of the speaker's position must be designated for electing the president of the council. Therefore, we respect the regulations and laws." He added that "the internal regulations emphasize and confirm holding a session to choose the president. Members of the council and the presidency should be the first to adhere to the internal regulations," according to the newspaper.
Al-Salami pointed out that "the solution lies in the council proceeding to choose its president by announcing a session to elect the council's president, thus the session will definitely be held, and the quorum will be met." He noted, "As much as possible, we try to avoid quotas and balances, but so far, no names have been proposed for nomination. The 'Extension' bloc supports empowering the opposition in the presidency of the council, and all parties involved in the government should demonstrate good faith in dealing with the opposition and enabling it in the presidency of the parliament to ensure that the work is genuine for the parliament's supervisory role over the executive authority."
It was scheduled for the parliament to hold a session to elect a new president before the local elections, but the session has been postponed indefinitely without a specified date.
