Iraqi Parliament to reconvene Wednesday as leadership row ends

Shafaq News – Baghdad

A heated dispute that paralyzed Iraq’s Parliament has ended with a “brotherly reconciliation” and a formal apology, a parliamentary source revealed on Tuesday, clearing the way for the legislature to resume work.

The row erupted Monday during a closed-door session when Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani’s recent remarks on the Iraqi political process and elections triggered a verbal altercation with First Deputy Speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi and several lawmakers from the Shiite Coordination Framework. The clash forced an abrupt postponement of that day’s parliamentary meeting.

The source told Shafaq News that al-Mandalawi apologized to al-Mashhadani during a meeting mediated by Second Deputy Speaker Shakhwan Abdullah in Baghdad.

The three leaders, he added, agreed to put the recent tensions behind them, restore cooperation, reactivate parliamentary proceedings, and insulate parliament from “political rivalries and electioneering.”

Following the reconciliation, the Council of Representatives published its agenda for Wednesday’s session, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. The agenda includes votes on two draft laws and debates on four additional legislative proposals.