Iraq: Al-Halbousi's options dwindled after his dismissal and the start of talk about an alternative

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[size=52]Iraq: Al-Halbousi's options dwindled after his dismissal and the start of talk about an alternative[/size]

[size=45]The Iraqi political scene is awaiting more complexity, after the Federal Court decided the day before yesterday, Tuesday, to terminate the membership of Parliament Speaker Muhammad Al-Halbousi from Parliament, against the backdrop of a lawsuit that had been filed by a representative, in which Al-Halbousi was accused of forging his resignation from Parliament, and the subsequent escalatory decisions of the “Party.” Progress,” led by the sacked Speaker of Parliament, was taken the night before yesterday, the most notable of which was the resignation of his party’s three ministers in the government, and the resignation of the heads of his parliamentary committees, who also numbered 3, in addition to the suspension of the work of 30 deputies, who are representatives of his party’s parliamentary bloc.
The Federal Court’s decision, which was issued on Tuesday, is irrevocable, because this court is the highest judicial authority in the country.[/size]
[size=45]The decision came as a result of a lawsuit filed by former MP Laith Al-Dulaimi, in which he claimed that his resignation letter was forged by Parliament Speaker Muhammad Al-Halbousi, and that the latter was using resignation letters signed by representatives of his bloc without dates, and keeping them for use in pressuring members of his parliamentary bloc to remain under his tutelage. .[/size]
[size=45]The court ruled that the resignation letter was actually forged by Al-Halbousi, to remove Al-Dulaimi from Parliament. Al-Halbousi was convicted of forgery and tampering as a crime against honor. As a result, he was considered to have lost his parliamentary status and was consequently removed from Parliament as a deputy as well, and not just as president (Al-Halbousi has been Speaker of Parliament since 2018). The court also decided to terminate the membership of Representative Laith Al-Dulaimi within the same decision.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Halbousi's chances of moving the street seem very weak[/size]
[size=45]Al-Halbousi was chairing a parliamentary session during the issuance of the ruling, and commented, “I am surprised that they do not respect the constitution, and the guardianship that comes over them, we do not know where it comes from,” stressing that he will resort to “measures that preserve constitutional rights.” He also expressed his regret that “there are those who seek to destabilize the country and to fragment the political components of society and fragment the social components” themselves, describing the Federal Court’s decision as “strange, the details and matters of which will be clarified after we fully review it, through you to your blocs and your families.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Halbousi pointed out: “We came from a society that rejected the political process until 2014, and the opposition in its various forms led to the fall of a third of Iraq, but when we worked with you, we worked carrying the slogan of honesty in the cooperation of these provinces with the state. They rose up and did not allow terrorism to penetrate them. They worked with everything they could and became positive.” In the political process.”[/size]
[size=45]In response to the court’s decision, the “Taqaddum” Party issued a statement, in which it announced a package of decisions, the most prominent of which was its rejection of the Federal Court’s decision as a “constitutional violation” and “political targeting,” in addition to boycotting the sessions of the “State Administration Coalition,” according to which the government was formed and includes Various political forces, including Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish forces participating in the government of Muhammad Shia al-Sudani.[/size]
[size=45]He also took a decision to resign the ministers of the “Taqaddum” Party in the government, namely the Minister of Planning, Muhammad Tamim, the Minister of Industry, Khaled Battal, and the Minister of Culture, Ahmed Al-Badrani, the resignation of the heads and deputy heads of the parliamentary committees, and the suspension of the presence of the bloc’s representatives in Parliament until further notice.[/size]
[size=45]The Sudanese government did not comment on the three ministers’ resignation decisions until yesterday afternoon, but Al-Sudani met with Al-Halbousi yesterday, and it was noteworthy that the phrase “Speaker of the House of Representatives” was included in the statement issued by his media office. According to the statement, Al-Sudani stressed “the importance of relying on dialogue and resolving all emerging problems, through communication between the political forces that represent the basic foundation of the political process.”[/size]
[size=45]An ongoing crisis between Al-Halbousi and his opponents.
The crisis of the presidency of the Iraqi parliament represents the latest outcome of the political conflict between the Sunni Arab forces over leadership, as Al-Halbousi’s opponents, namely the “Al-Hal” Party led by Jamal Al-Karbouli, the “Al-Azm” Party led by Muthanna Al-Samarrai, and other small forces classified as It is close to the parties allied with Iran, to initiate a number of judicial files against Al-Halbousi, whom they accuse of monopolizing Sunni decision-making, while Al-Halbousi accuses his opponents of being the cause of the ISIS era, and that the old Sunni leaders must step down due to their failure to “manage... Component Affairs,” according to various statements from both parties.[/size]
[size=45]In the meantime, attention is turning to the “Sovereignty” coalition, which includes, in addition to “Taqaddum,” the “Arab Project” led by Khamis Al-Khanjar, in order to provide another candidate for the position of Speaker of Parliament, as a “deserving” according to the sectarian quota mechanism in force in Iraq. .[/size]
[size=45]The coalition led by Al-Khanjar called on other Sunni political leaders to “an urgent meeting to discuss the next steps,” while the dismissed Speaker of Parliament, Muhammad Al-Halbousi, began moving towards Sunni religious and tribal bases in several regions, which indicates that the latter is thinking about resorting to mobilizing the street, in a scenario that was repeated previously with Former political leaders were overthrown. Examples of these include the Deputy Prime Minister during Al-Maliki’s government, Rafi’ Al-Issawi, who was convicted of terrorism in 2013, and this resulted in widespread popular demonstrations that ended with ISIS sweeping large areas of Iraq, and before him, Tariq Al-Hashemi, who was also ousted by a judicial decision when he was Vice-President. Republic and also on charges of terrorism.[/size]
[size=45]According to Iraqi political sources in Baghdad, Al-Halbousi held meetings with senior sheikhs of the Iraqi Jurisprudence Academy at the Imam Abu Hanifa Al-Numan Mosque in Baghdad, before moving to his hometown of Fallujah and holding a meeting with sheikhs and tribal leaders there, on Tuesday night. However, according to the current social, security and political conditions, Al-Halbousi’s chances of mobilizing the street seem very weak, according to the sources.[/size]
[size=45]A member of Parliament from the “Taqaddum” Party, which is led by Al-Halbousi, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the latter “is heading towards a broad movement in the coming hours, politically, popularly and legally,” considering that what happened is “a recurring scenario with any figure who wants to be excluded.” Speaking about the fact that “the judiciary is governed and has no choice in Iraq,” indicating that the ruling therein has political motives. The representative described the current time as “ideal for eliminating opponents and implementing political projects due to the world’s preoccupation with the aggression against Gaza, so no one will care about dismissing anyone or assassinating him politically, as happened with Al-Halbousi,” according to his opinion.[/size]
[size=45]The search for an alternative begins.
In reactions to the decision, the “Victory Coalition,” led by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and the “Al-Hikmah Movement,” led by Ammar al-Hakim, announced their support for the decisions of the Federal Court, and a statement from the “Victory Coalition” said that “no one is above the law.” While Ammar Al-Hakim bid farewell to Al-Halbousi by thanking him for “presiding over the House of Representatives throughout the past period,” a phrase that is understood as an acceptance and acknowledgment of the ruling.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed learned, from informed sources in Baghdad, that a number of leaders and representatives of Sunni Arab political forces will hold a meeting today, Thursday, in order to discuss the alternative personalities they nominate for the position, amid competition between the various blocs over their eligibility for it.[/size]
[size=45]Some blocs propose transferring the position of Parliament Speaker between the governorates, meaning that the Speaker of Parliament was from Anbar, before that from Diyala, and previously from Nineveh, so he must now be from Salah al-Din, or Baghdad, at a time when other forces reject this proposal and insist that the candidate be For the position according to the parliamentary weight of the bloc (its number of seats). According to the same sources, the Shiite and Kurdish forces have not expressed any comment on the issue so far.[/size]
[size=45]According to the bylaws, Parliament sessions continue to be held in the absence of its Speaker, as the first and second Deputy Speakers of Parliament (Mohsen Al-Mandalawi and Shakhwan Abdullah) assume the task of regularly managing the sessions, which means that the crisis of Al-Halbousi’s replacement or even his return to his position may be long and will not be resolved. Soon.[/size]
[size=45]The new crisis comes about one month before the local elections scheduled to be held on December 18, to choose local governments in the Iraqi governorates, amid another controversy over the legitimacy of Al-Halbousi continuing to lead an electoral list in Anbar Governorate with the decision to convict him of a crime against honor, which is forgery.[/size]
[size=45]But on the other hand, Iraqi Parliament member Basem Khashan considered that the Federal Court’s decision to terminate Al-Halbousi’s member “indicates the independence of the judiciary,” indicating in a statement to Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that “there is a new lawsuit that will be filed against Al-Halbousi regarding his infringement of certain powers and exploitation of the position, and his By appointing a number of advisors without fulfilling the legal conditions.”[/size]
[size=45]Khashan added, “Al-Halbousi transgressed the law, and he thought he would escape punishment because he had reached a stage where he considered himself too old to be held accountable for any behavior, and what happened to him must be an example to the rest of the party leaders and officials who do not fear the law, and that holding the corrupt accountable.” “It will be done through the law.” He stressed that the decision to withdraw ministers, deputies and officials of the “Taqadum” Party from the government is “a personal decision, and represents a case of a coup against the will of the public that elected the party in the last parliamentary elections.”[/size]
[size=45]For his part, Anwar Al-Alwani, a member of the “Taqaddum” Party in Anbar Governorate, pointed out that “the party respects the law, but finds that the Federal Court’s decision was somewhat urgent and strange, especially since the personal claimant in the forgery case was supposed to He resorts to forensic evidence to reveal the type of handwriting and signature, and through forensic evidence it is possible to determine the age of the ink on the paper in the alleged forgery, but none of that happened.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Alwani continued, in an interview with Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, that “the plaintiff’s defense team was also surprised by the speed with which the decision to terminate Al-Halbousi’s membership was announced, and we frankly do not know why the forgery case with which Al-Halbousi is accused was not dealt with in the Special Investigation Court for Forgery Crimes.” . He stressed that the “Taqaddum” party “is continuing its political work, despite registering its objection to the way it dealt with the Speaker of Parliament, but it will continue to deal with the issues of its constituency.”[/size]
[size=45]Commenting on the court’s decision and its repercussions, the head of the Center for Political Thinking, Ihsan Al-Shammari, stated that “the resignation of officials and ministers from the Taqadum party from the current government may have political consequences, but they can be contained if there is a political agreement, or prior political preparation.” Al-Shammari confirmed to Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that “the judicial decision against Al-Halbousi is not subject to appeal. Therefore, a new phase of political tension is coming, and it may affect the form of the current government in addition to the upcoming local elections, which may be postponed, in addition to the voting session for the Speaker of the House of Representatives.” New, and what is important to say is that the Federal Court’s decision was not retaliatory, and therefore this is the legal path in most cases and files that are similar to what Al-Halbousi was accused of.”[/size]
[size=45](Zaid Salem participated in the report from Baghdad)[/size]
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