ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Lawmakers from different political blocs said Wednesday they expect the Iraqi Parliament to fail to hold its scheduled sessions as it enters the final legislative term, citing political tensions and disruptions caused by members' campaigning efforts.

On Tuesday, Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani called on all political blocs and lawmakers to attend sessions during the final term.

“We call on all political blocs, their leaders, members, and independent MPs to carry their national and historical responsibilities during this sensitive time. We urge them to attend the coming sessions in the final legislative term and work in cooperation to keep the legislative path going and pass delayed laws that serve the people,” Mashhadani said.

He added, “MPs must attend the sessions for the rest of the current term in order to pass important laws still waiting to be approved and complete the remaining legislative work and readings. These laws are important to people’s lives.”

After the call, Parliament published the agenda for its upcoming session, set for Saturday, July 12. The agenda includes seven points, including votes on laws and readings of proposed bills.

Busy with election campaigning

Mohammed Anouz, a member of the parliamentary legal committee, told The New Region that Parliament is getting ready to hold its final sessions starting next week. However, he said it is likely to fail again due to lack of quorum, with most MPs being expected to skip the meetings, even though there are many important laws that still need to be passed before the current term ends.

Anouz explained that one of the main reasons for this continued failure is political. “There is a clear political will to block the sessions. This is why MPs are being pushed to boycott and break quorum. Also, some lawmakers and blocs are busy with early election campaigns. They are spending time in their provinces and not doing their job in Parliament,” he said.

He added that more than 130 proposed laws, many carried over from previous terms, remain stuck in the legislative chamber due to ongoing disputes between the major blocs and political parties. “These ongoing and growing disagreements have kept those laws from being passed, even though some have already had a second reading and are ready for a vote,” he said.

A lack of political will?

Independent MP Haitham al-Zarkani told The New Region that the months-long suspension of Parliament sessions is not accidental. “It is a political move aimed at passing some sensitive laws that are still disputed between some parties. These include the law on the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), changes to the salary scale law, and others. Because of these disputes, we believe the sessions will stay suspended,” he said.

Zarkani said there is strong political pressure to keep Parliament from functioning. “There’s a will to stop Parliament from doing its oversight job on the government. Some top officials are facing many accusations and failures. So, by breaking quorum, some groups want to block Parliament from questioning or monitoring them,” he added.

He stressed that when Parliament meets next week, he and other MPs will pressure the speaker’s office to activate Parliament’s oversight role and take serious action against MPs who miss sessions and delay the legislative process. “Even though this is the last term before the next election, we need to take strict steps,” he said.

“No guarantees”

Aref al-Hamami, an MP from the Coordination Framework, also spoke to The New Region and said he does not expect Parliament to hold any sessions in its final weeks. He blamed ongoing disputes over several important laws. “Some parties do not want to pass laws like the PMF bill or make changes to the election law,” he said.

Hamami added that some political groups from different sides want to keep the sessions blocked. “The political and party disputes are still strong. We expect MPs will continue to skip the sessions and prevent quorum. The speaker must take stronger action and not just deduct part of their salary.”

He concluded, “It’s unlikely Parliament will succeed in holding any sessions in this final term. There are no guarantees, even with calls from the speaker, lawmakers, and political groups.”