Iraqi Parliament postpones vote on PMF Law
Shafaq News – Baghdad
A draft Law revising the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) structure was submitted to Iraq’s Parliament, but the vote was delayed, an Iraqi lawmaker reported to Shafaq News on Saturday.
MP Ali Al-Bandawi confirmed that the Iraqi Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee finalized changes to the PMF legislation, also known as the PMF Authority Law, highlighting that a draft will be submitted to the Parliament Presidency to schedule a vote.
A document further showed that Committee Chairman Kareem Alawi referred the bill to the Parliament Presidency for inclusion on today’s session agenda. However, the parliamentary media office postponed the session, citing a lack of quorum.
Earlier, State of Law Coalition member Hussein al-Maliki ruled out passing the measure during the current term, citing political opposition inside Iraq and a clear US veto. “Iraqi political forces won’t override the American opposition,” he said.
The United States opposes the Law, fearing it would institutionalize the PMF as an independent force separate from the Iraqi army and legitimize groups Washington classifies as terrorist organizations.
The Iraqi Parliament approved the original PMF statute in 2016, but lacked detailed provisions for structure and integration. The new draft aims to define the group’s status within Iraq’s national security framework.
The PMF was formed in mid-2014 after Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for collective mobilization to counter ISIS following Mosul’s fall. Thousands of volunteers, including fighters from established Shiite factions, answered the call.
