Al-Maliki blames “emergency issue” for choosing parliament speaker delay

Shafaq News/ On Monday, Nouri al-Maliki, the leader of the State of Law Coalition, stated that an "emergency issue" has hindered the resolution of the parliamentary presidency matter, denying claims that the Shiite component seeks to control the position.

Al-Maliki described the issue as a “crisis that has developed due to differences in perspectives,” emphasizing that “legislative, executive, and judicial institutions are fundamental to building a democratic state.”

He noted that the “stability and proper functioning of the legislative authority support both the executive and judicial branches.

Al-Maliki stressed the importance of a stable legislative authority with a full presidency and deputies managing this vital institution, affirming that the Coordination Framework is committed to completing the political process by electing a new Speaker of the House.

He also mentioned that while discussions with Sunni parties were positive, an unforeseen issue prevented the resolution of the parliamentary presidency.

Political forces have been unable to elect a new Speaker since the dismissal of Mohamed al-Halbousi in November 2023 due to ongoing disputes. The Coordination Framework had set July 20 as the deadline to resolve Sunni disagreements on this issue but did not meet this deadline.

Additionally, the State of Law Coalition had anticipated last week that Mohsen al-Mandalawi would continue as Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament until the end of the current legislative session. Saad al-Muttalibi, a senior member of the coalition, stated that disagreements among Sunni political forces persist, particularly between Mohamed al-Halbousi and Khamis al-Khanjar, with no resolution reached as of yet.