Iraq .. Disputes that delay passing the election law, and today the deadline for naming the prime minister ends

Yesterday, Wednesday, the Iraqi parliament failed again to pass the proposed amendments to the election law because of the severe differences between the parliamentary blocs, and next Monday set a date for another session, while today, Thursday, the deadline set by the President of the Republic, Barham Saleh, to nominate a new candidate for prime minister.

Al-Jazeera correspondent in Baghdad, Walid Ibrahim, said that Parliament Speaker Mohamed Al-Halbousi decided to postpone the voting session for the new parliamentary election law until next Monday, noting that the decision came after the parliament failed to pass the election law because of the parliamentary blocs objecting to some of its clauses, especially those that define The nature of the electoral system for the next stage.

The reporter added that the withdrawal of the Kurdish bloc and a number of Sunni representatives (the Union of Forces bloc) violated the quorum, which led the Presidency of the Parliament to postpone the session.

The new election law is one of the most important laws that protesters call for enacting in order to achieve the political reform that they are demanding, as the country has witnessed unprecedented popular protests since the beginning of last October to demand the departure of the ruling political class, fight corruption and improve the deteriorating living situation.

Two controversial paragraphs
The Al-Jazeera correspondent stated that the dispute within the corridors of Parliament revolves around paragraph 15 of the law because it determines the nature of the electoral system, and whether it will be by the individual candidacy system or by the list system or a mixed system between them, adding that there is a party calling for making the entire electoral system individually.

On the other hand, another party calls for the electoral system to be 50-50 between the individual and the list, while a third party proposes different percentages for the list and 60% for the individual. As for the fourth party, it is proposed at 25% for the list compared to 75% for the individual.

Among the issues that are disputed within the parliamentary blocs is the way to divide the country (paragraph 16 of the law) into electoral districts, as one party calls for making Iraq a single electoral district, while another party proposes to limit the districts to the number of governorates of Iraq. There are those who call for the judiciary (part of the governorate) to be an electoral district, while another party calls for the allocation of electoral districts for every 100,000 people.

I put all these parliamentary proposals at once to the Presidency of the House of Representatives in order to resolve disputes over them by voting, but the body did not deliberately move to vote.

A week ago, Parliament had failed to convene a session to pass a draft amendment to the election law due to existing disputes.

Demand of the protesters
The protesters and the political forces supporting them are calling for the adoption of multiple electoral districts and the individual voting system, in contrast to what is approved in the current law that depends on the counting of votes based on electoral lists, and considering the governorate as one electoral district.

The protesters say that the current election law serves the ruling parties at the expense of the small blocs and independents, while the ruling parties have been nominating members of the supposed election commission.

About two weeks ago, Parliament passed the Electoral Commission Act, which provides for the formation of an independent commission composed of judges who are away from the power of parties.

Timeout
On the other hand, the deadline set by the President of the Republic in a letter he sent to Parliament to nominate a new candidate for prime minister, replaces Adel Abdel Mahdi, who submitted his resignation to the House of Representatives, which he approved on the first of this month, ends today.

Abdul-Mahdi, who holds the caretaker government, denied the vacancy in the post of prime minister by today or beyond, stressing that the government continues its work, provided that the new government takes over according to the Iraqi constitution.

Sources in the office of the President of the Republic told the island that the political parties concerned to name a new candidate for prime minister have not resolved their differences yet, and they have not agreed on a candidate to head the next government.

She added that the "Al-Fateh" coalition led by Representative Hadi al-Amiri told the President of the Republic that his candidate is the current Minister of Higher Education Qusay al-Suhail, but that the second party - the Parliamentary Alliance "winner" of the past elections and supported by the leader of the Sadrist movement Muqtada al-Sadr - informed the President of his rejection of this. The filter.

Frequently used names
In addition to Al-Suhail, other names have been put forward to assume the presidency of the government, including the former Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Muhammad Shi'a Al-Sudani and the head of the National Intelligence Agency Mustafa Al-Kazemi. The liberal MP, Faik Sheikh Ali, who is well-known for his criticism of rampant corruption in the country's joints, also submitted his candidacy to the country's president for the position of prime minister.

In a related context, the United Nations Mission in Iraq said that the country does not tolerate emergency or temporary solutions or coercive measures, adding that political leaders must reach an agreement to nominate a candidate for prime minister that meets the aspirations of the Iraqi people and before the end of the constitutional deadline.