Iraqi Parliament to elect new speaker next Saturday
The Iraqi Parliament. Photo: INA
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Parliament said on Thursday that it will hold a session next Saturday to elect a new speaker to replace former Parliament Speaker Muhammad Al-Halbousi.
The Parliament’s media department said in a statement that Saturday, January 13, has been set as a date to elect a new speaker for the Iraqi Parliament, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.
The Federal Supreme Court in Iraq decided in mid-November to end the term of the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Muhammad Al-Halbousi.
The decision took place after MP Laith Al-Dulaimi filed a lawsuit against Al-Halbousi, accusing him of forgery.
The court also decided to end the term of Al-Dulaimi. The court’s decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
Since the adoption of the constitution in 2005 in the post-Saddam Hussein era, the Prime Minister is a Shiite, the Speaker of Parliament is a Sunni, and the President of the country is a Kurd.
First Deputy Speaker Mohsen Al-Mandalawi has been overseeing the legislature since the Iraqi court issued the verdict.
Al-Halbousi has held the position of Speaker of Parliament since September 15, 2018. He is the youngest Speaker of Parliament in the history of Iraq and the first to be re-elected as Speaker of Parliament in the country.