Baghdad: MPs from various blocs have placed responsibility on Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani and his deputies, Mohsen al-Mandalawi and Shakhwan Abdullah, for the disruption of parliamentary sessions.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, MP Saud al-Saadi addressed the media in a joint press conference, where he criticized certain MPs for their insistence on disrupting sessions, thereby hindering Parliament’s oversight and legislative functions. Al-Saadi revealed that although approximately 149 MPs were present for the day’s session, it was unexpectedly suspended and adjourned by the Parliament Speaker. Al-Saadi emphasized that the Presidency claims no responsibility for these disruptions.

He further elaborated that the onus falls on the Parliament Speaker and his deputies for the ongoing disruptions. Al-Saadi argued that the internal regulations and Parliament Law No. 13 of 2018 do not provide for the suspension of sessions. He criticized the leadership for failing to enforce the internal regulations and the law by not taking action against MPs who are absent from sessions.

Al-Saadi pointed out that the internal regulations of the House of Representatives mandate that any representative who is absent for five sessions should face expulsion from Parliament. He stressed that the appropriate legal procedure to prevent session disruptions is to expel these absentee MPs.