Turmoil erupts in Iraqi parliament over controversial election law
Iraq’s parliament approved controversial amendments to the country’s election law in a session which extended into the early hours of 27 March, fueling protests both inside the parliament hall and across the country.
Following the October 2019 anti-corruption protests, Iraq adopted a new election law that gave independent parties a higher chance of securing seats in the parliament in the 2021 elections.
The amendments approved on Monday morning set the law back to the Sainte Lague system, which was introduced in 2014. This method uses a complex system of distributing seats and has been said to favor more well-established parties. The amendments will reportedly expand electoral districts to the detriment of independent candidates.
Independent MPs tried to obstruct quorum by leaving the parliament hall, but the legislative body secured the seats that it needed. In an attempt to block the vote, the independent MPs stormed the parliament hall chanting slogans denouncing the amendments and demanding an end to the session.
The Iraqi parliament votes on the St. Lego Law on (1.7). developments in the Iraqi parliament with the forcible removal of 81 MPs from the hall for protesting the electoral law revisions.
-Al-Halbousi appeals to the armed forces inside the parliament hall to suppress the MPs. https://t.co/787yERPw8v pic.twitter.com/XKNgG4xGyX— Iraqi Qahwa كهوة عراقية (@IraqiQahwa) March 27, 2023
“No, no to Sainte Lague,” they chanted as some banged on tables and whistled.
Over the past few weeks, the independents and some political blocs had rejected the amendments and attempted to stall the vote. In late February, hundreds across the capital Baghdad protested the adoption of the law.
As chaos plagued the session, Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi ended up requesting the security forces in order to move them away.
“We are being pushed by the guards … This is a humiliation to us,” MP Amer Abdul Jabbar said while filming on his mobile phone.
Following the chaotic parliament session, demonstrators gathered in the country’s southern provinces, closing off roads and burning tires.
The latest parliamentary elections held in Iraq were in October 2021, when the Sadrist Movement led by Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr secured a major victory, winning 73 seats.
Not long after, the country found itself locked in a major political impasse, and government formation was stalled for over a year until Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani was sworn into office in late October 2022.
