Iraqi Azm and Sovereignty Alliances back Al-Mashhadani for Speaker

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, the Azm Alliance led by Muthanna al-Samarrai and the Sovereignty Alliance (Al-Siyada) led by Khamis Al-Khanjar announced their support for MP Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani's nomination as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Political forces are in ongoing discussions to resolve the presidency of the House of Representatives, which has been vacant for over nine months since Mohammed Al-Halbousi's dismissal in November 2023. The Coordination Framework (CF), comprising Shiite forces excluding the Sadrist movement, had set July 20 to resolve Sunni disputes, but no commitment to this date was made.

A joint statement by the Azm and Sovereignty Alliances announced their decision “in response to efforts by the CF and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to resolve the election of the House Speaker and comply with the Federal Court's ruling, avoiding constitutional errors.”

Earlier, a CF source revealed that the consortium of mainly Iran-backed Shiite political forces formally received a letter from the head of the Progress Party, Mohammed Al-Halbousi, backed by more than 50 signatures from Sunni lawmakers, proposing Ziad al-Janabi as a candidate for the position.

On Monday, a CF source stated that the Framework will not amend the House of Representatives' bylaws and will adhere to the Federal Court’s decision to elect a candidate in the first session, opposing the reopening of nominations and insisting on choosing from the current candidates.

Notably, the issue is still under discussion among Sunni political forces and has been postponed until after the Arbaeen Pilgrimage to allow for potential agreement; if no resolution is reached, the CF, in collaboration with Kurdish forces, will take action to resolve the matter.