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Iraqi political tensions worsen amidst further violence | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki listens to a question during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)


Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki listens to a question during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)

Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki listens to a question during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)

Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—More than half of all Iraqi MPs boycotted an emergency parliamentary session held yesterday to discuss the deteriorating security situation in the country, further escalating the entrenched political crisis in Baghdad.

Just 140 out of a total of 325 Iraqi parliamentarians attended the special parliamentary session called for by Speaker Osama Al-Nujaifi at the behest of the Ahrar parliamentary bloc, affiliated to the Sadrist Movement. The State of Law coalition bloc, headed by under-fire Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, boycotted the emergency parliamentary session, as did a number of other allied parliamentary blocs.

Prior to the session, Maliki had called for Iraqi MPs to boycott the emergency session, making general accusations against unnamed Iraqi MPs of being directly involved in the latest violence.

Although the major topic of discussion at yesterday’s parliamentary session was the deteriorating security situation in the country, senior defense and interior ministry officials boycotted the emergency session. Local media reported that both Iraqi Defense Minister Saadoun Al-Dulaimi and Deputy Interior Minister Adnan Al-Assadi had boycotted the parliamentary session, along with all other security officials.

Following this latest controversy, along with previous parliamentary dissatisfaction with the security authorities, the first full Iraqi parliamentary session following the legislative break—scheduled for June 18—is expected to see these security officials removed from office following a parliamentary vote of no confidence.

Responding to Maliki’s accusations and calls for a boycott, Iraqi parliamentary Speaker Osama Al-Nujaifi accused the Iraqi prime minister of “recklessness and tyranny.”

Speaking during a press conference following the parliamentary session, Nujaifi characterized Maliki’s calls for MPs not to attend the emergency session as “disregard for the blood of the Iraqi people.”

“We had hoped that the prime minister would have been more courageous and attended parliament to discuss the security breaches and the reasons behind the failure of the security services,” he added.

In an unprecedented move by the parliamentary speaker, Nujaifi accused Maliki of “rebelling” against the constitution and being “indifferent” to the suffering of the Iraqi people.

He stressed, “Maliki has confirmed his rebellion against the constitution by calling on MPs not to attend the emergency parliamentary session and carry out their constitutional duty to discuss the security deterioration in the country,” adding, “this is taking place at a time when a large portion of the armed forces budget is being spent on counter-terrorism to no avail.”

He also confirmed: “The prime minister’s inflammatory statements yesterday and his accusations against parliament (of being involved in terrorism) gives us the right to raise an official complaint to the cabinet,” adding that “we will do this in the coming days.”

Moqtada Al-Sadr had previously warned against the presence of “extremist” voices, among both Iraq’s Sunni and Shi’ite communities, pushing the country towards violence.

He emphasized that Iraq is on the verge of witnessing “imminent sectarian violence.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki had ordered a shakeup of senior security officers on Tuesday evening, following a spate of bombings that have killed more than 380 people over the course of one month.

The office of the prime minister issued an official statement announcing, “After consultation with security officials, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, today (Tuesday) issued orders…for changes in the operations commands and the leadership of the divisions.”

Maliki named Lieutenant Abdulamir Al-Shimari as head of Baghdad’s Operations Command following the sacking of Staff Lieutenant General Ahmed Hashem.

Over the past week more than 200 people have been killed in a wave of car bomb attacks across Iraq. The worst violence took place in Baghdad, where car bombs targeted Shi’ite districts during Monday morning rush hour. A spate of sectarian bombings also struck Iraq on Tuesday; the worst attack seeing a car bomb explode near a Sunni mosque in Baghdad, killing at least 10 people. At least 23 people were reported killed in the newest wave of attacks earlier today.