The State of Law Coalition, led by Nouri al-Maliki, revealed the possibility of amending the internal regulations of the Iraqi Parliament, a move long advocated by the leader of the Progress Party, Muhammad al-Halbousi, to allow his party to propose a candidate for his replacement. Lawmaker Aref al-Hamami from the State of Law mentioned that "the statements issued by Sunni blocs regarding the resolution of the position of the Speaker of the Parliament prompted the Coordination Framework to arrange a leadership-level meeting in the coming days to decide on the matter."
Al-Hamami added that "Maliki emphasized the importance of continuing dialogue to emerge from the crisis and resolve the election of the Speaker of the Parliament. If the political blocs agree to reopen nominations for the office of Speaker of the Parliament, the Council is capable of amending its internal regulations and reopening nominations once again." He also noted that "the session to elect the Parliament Speaker will be held after the Arbaeen pilgrimage, although there is no specific date for the session unless the matter is resolved."
This comes after six Sunni parliamentary forces announced they would present a new candidate for the position of Speaker of the Parliament to replace the ousted Muhammad al-Halbousi, asserting they have a parliamentary majority. Parties and blocs such as Progress, National Communities, National Resolve, Al-Sadr, Iraqi National Project, and Initiative issued a joint statement to Shafaq News, stating they reached an agreement regarding the nomination of a figure for the presidency of the Parliament.
According to information, the candidate agreed upon by the six forces is Ziad al-Janabi, who is close to al-Halbousi. Political forces are continuously engaged in dialogues and meetings to find a solution to the problem of the Parliament's presidency, which has been delayed for over nine months following the dismissal of Muhammad al-Halbousi in November 2023.
