Iraq’s Al-Muthanna governorship vote sparks legal dispute
Shafaq News- Al-Muthanna
The National Approach (Al-Nahj Al-Watany) Alliance on Wednesday rejected the outcome of the latest Al-Muthanna Provincial Council session that announced the resignation of Governor Muhannad Al-Atabi and elected a successor.
In a statement, the alliance described the session as “a political coup marred by procedural breaches,” asserting that it violated constitutional rules governing provincial councils. It declared all decisions, including the election of Ahmed Munfi, invalid and stressed that the governorship is bound by prior political agreements, calling for disputes to be addressed through constitutional mechanisms to “protect stability.”
بيان بشأن ما جرى في جلسة مجلس محافظة المثنىانطلاقًا من مسؤوليتنا الوطنية، وحرصًا منا على احترام التوافقات السياسية والالتزامات المركزية المتفق عليها عند تشكيل الحكومات المحلية، يؤكد تحالف النهج الوطني تمسكه الصارم بمبدأ الشرعية القانونية، واحترام الاستحقاقات السياسية التي تشكل… pic.twitter.com/iO0bqrd1uo
— تحالف النهج الوطني (@alnahj_alliance) February 25, 2026
State of Law Coalition leader Nouri Al-Maliki also wrote on X that the Al-Muthanna governorship falls within his coalition’s share under arrangements inside the Shiite Coordination Framework, the largest bloc in parliament. “The position cannot be transferred to another party,” he maintained, adding that any replacement must come from within the State of Law Coalition, specifically through the National Approach Alliance.
نؤكد أن منصب #محافظ_المثنى هو استحقاق لدولة القانون وفقًا للتوافق داخل الإطار التنسيقي ، ولا يمكن القبول بذهابه إلى أي جهة أخرى. وفي حال وجود رغبة أو ضرورة للتغيير، فإن البديل يجب أن يكون أيضًا من #دولة_القانون وتحديدا من (تحالف النهج الوطني)، صونًا للاستحقاق السياسي وحفاظا على…
— Nouri Al-Maliki (@nourialmalikiiq) February 24, 2026
On Tuesday, the Provincial Council elected Ahmed Munfi Jawda as governor with 10 of 12 votes, after announcing Al-Atabi’s resignation. Al-Atabi rejected the claim, stating that he had attended the council in response to a summons for questioning.
