Iraqi leader: amendments to Personal Status Law “deepen sectarianism”

Shafaq News/ On Saturday, Iyad Allawi, leader of Iraq’s National Coalition, firmly rejected the proposed amendments to the Personal Status Law, which are being advanced by Shia political blocs in the Iraqi parliament.

In a meeting with members of the 188 Alliance, Allawi criticized the proposed changes, calling them “unacceptable,” according to his media office statement.

The 188 Alliance condemned the distortion campaign and threats targeting opponents of the Personal Status Law amendment, which allows girls as young as nine to marry and legalizes unregistered marriages, seen as a major setback for women's and girls' rights.

Allawi emphasized that “Iraq’s pressing issues, such as poverty and unemployment, require legislative focus on fundamental reforms rather than amendments that could undermine national unity and exacerbate sectarianism,” the statement affirmed.

He also urged political leaders to “prioritize critical issues affecting Iraqi citizens over divisive debates.”

“Such controversies do not benefit the country or its people.”