Baghdad: Legal expert and consultant Salem Hawas has emphasized that the constitutional duties of Iraq's Council of Representatives must be exercised within the confines of the parliament and not through media outlets. "The Iraqi Constitution clearly defines the duties of the Council of Representatives in Article 61," he asserted, "which include enacting federal laws, overseeing the performance of the executive branch, electing the President of the Republic, ratifying treaties, approving senior appointments, questioning and interrogating senior officials, withdrawing confidence, and other provisions."

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Hawas elaborated that these powers are strictly to be exercised within the Council of Representatives. This includes utilizing the oversight tools stipulated by the constitution, such as directing questions, raising general issues, conducting interrogations, engaging in debates, and executing votes.

Hawas underscored the constitutional obligation of parliament members to keep their interventions and oversight activities within the parliamentary chamber, as opposed to leveraging television channels or other media platforms. He argued that shifting parliamentary duties from a constitutional domain to a media-centric approach undermines the intent of the constitutional provisions and distorts the oversight role that parliament is meant to play.

He highlighted that Article 61 provides parliamentarians with robust oversight tools to hold any executive body accountable. However, it does not authorize them to utilize media to incite public opinion or to create political, sectarian, religious, or national crises outside the constitutional framework.

Hawas concluded by stressing that adherence to the constitutional text demands the parliamentary arena remain within the parliament building. He called for media discourse to evolve from "noise and posturing" to one of commitment and responsibility, thereby upholding the dignity of the legislative institution and the principle of separation of powers.