Al-Halbousi’s party is moving legally to restore him to his position, 15 DEC

 Al-Halbousi’s party is moving legally to restore him to his position, 15 DEC

Baghdad – The “Taqaddum” Party, led by former Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi, is making political moves on Wednesday to return its leader to his previous position, in light of political divisions between the Sunni blocs and a raging conflict that hinders agreement on a name for the presidency of Parliament.

Al-Halbousi knows that his opponents are moving in all directions to remove his replacement from the “Taqaddum” party, but they faced disagreements that led them to postpone the session three times in approximately one month, which was a disappointment for them.
The Presidency of the House of Representatives decided on Tuesday to postpone the session to elect a new Speaker of the House until further notice.

Party leader Muhammad Al-Alawi said, “There is a legal movement underway to restore former Parliament Speaker Muhammad Al-Halbousi to his position again in accordance with legal and constitutional procedures.”

He stated that “returning Al-Halbousi to his position is very possible, and there is a legal and political effort to do so,” stressing that “this matter is one of the most prominent reasons for postponing the Parliament session to elect a new Speaker of Parliament.” He believed that “there is great hope for Al-Halbousi’s return during the next short period.”

Al-Halbousi’s opponents are seeking to exploit the opportunity to gain the position, but the competition between the Sunni parties and the intertwining of their alliances is in his interest. Muthanna Al-Samarrai, who leads the “Al-Azm” coalition, is trying to seize the position in favor of his candidate, former Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, from other competitors, most notably Shalan Al-Karim, Abdul Karim Abtan, and Yahya Al-Muhammadi from the “Taqaddum” party, and Salem Al-Issawi from the “Sovereignty” coalition.

The dismissed president won a new round in his political battle after the judicial body in the Electoral Commission rejected on Wednesday a lawsuit to dissolve the “Taqadum” party with which it is competing in the local elections this month. According to the Board of Commissioners, the lawsuit filed by representatives against the party did not include all the required papers and documents.

Earlier, the Judicial Cassation Body rejected the same request, and according to a letter issued by the head of the Judicial Body, the request was rejected for violating the provisions of Article 32 First of the Political Parties Law and not observing proper legal procedures in submitting a request to dissolve a political party.

The representative of the Taqaddam Party, Fahd Mishaan, confirmed on Wednesday, “We respect the decisions of the Federal Court regarding the Al-Halbousi case,” considering that the response to the “Hal” Party’s appeals was expected. Mishaan said, in television statements, “We respect the decisions of the Federal Court, but they do not mean the end of the political end,” denying “the existence of any withdrawals within the “Taqaddum” party.”

The party was able to win Anbar seats in the Iraqi parliament in the 2021 elections, winning 14 of the governorate’s share of 15 seats. This party’s influence extended to the governorates of Nineveh, Salah al-Din, and Diyala, as well as parts of the capital, Baghdad, and the number of its members in Parliament rose to 43 deputies, moving away from its closest Sunni competitor in Parliament, which has 16 seats.

The Presidency of the Iraqi Council of Representatives decided to officially terminate the membership of Council Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi, based on the decision of the Federal Supreme Court, as of the fourteenth of November 2023.

After the controversy that arose regarding the postponement of the session to elect a Speaker of Parliament on Wednesday, the Federal Supreme Court on Thursday issued a constitutional interpretation regarding the vacancy of the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives, and stressed that holding the session for the purpose of opening the door to nominations is subject to the provisions of Article (12/Third) of the Council’s bylaws, and that this It must be held for the purpose of opening the door for nominations and selecting a president for the Council according to an absolute majority.

It also clarified that the election of the Speaker of the Council must take place by an absolute majority in that session or in the following sessions after the first session, stressing that the House of Representatives must continue to perform its duties during the legislative term and that its sessions be held under the chairmanship of one of the two Vice-Presidents until a new president is elected, and stressed that there must not be Failure to elect a new president is a justification for disrupting the work of the House of Representatives.

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