Iraq Crisis: MPs Vote to Sack Parliament Speaker

Local Editor

Iraqi lawmakers voted Thursday to remove the parliament speaker and his deputies from office, increasing political turmoil as the country battles terrorists and struggles with a financial crisis.

The chaos at parliament overshadowed Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's efforts to replace the current cabinet and preventing nominees from being brought to a vote.

The turmoil has escalated over three successive sessions this week: the first ended in a sit-in, the second with a fistfight among lawmakers, and the third with the vote to remove parliament speaker Salim al-Juburi.

Juburi issued a statement saying that the session, which he did not attend, was unconstitutional and that the required quorum was not reached.

But Niyazi Oghlu, the official responsible for taking roll at parliament, put the number of lawmakers present at 173, while two lawmakers also said more than 170 attended.

Abadi has called for the party-affiliated cabinet to be replaced by a government of technocrats, but has faced significant resistance from the powerful parties that rely on control of ministries for patronage and funds.

An "emergency" session on Wednesday ended with lawmakers shouting, shoving and throwing punches in the parliament hall, leading Juburi to call a recess.

The speaker's office said earlier in the day that Abadi was to give a revised list of nominees to parliament on Thursday, but the move to sack Juburi stole the spotlight instead.

Abadi presented a first list of cabinet nominees at the end of March, but the political blocs put forward their own candidates, and most of the premier's original list was replaced on a second presented to MPs on Tuesday.

Dozens of lawmakers then began a sit-in and spent the night at parliament.

Iraqi ministries have for years been shared out between powerful political parties that run them as their personal fiefdoms, relying on them for patronage and funds.

Abadi called in February for "fundamental" change to the cabinet so that it includes "professional and technocratic figures and academics".

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team