Baghdad-Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri has called on blocs to form a committee to amend the Iraqi constitution.

The Iraqi parliament held a session on Sunday, July 17 chaired by Jabouri and attended by 185 members of parliament.

During the session, Jabouri called on blocs to nominate members to the committee, which will work on the amendment of the constitution.

Jabouri said the decision came from the Iraqi Council of Ministers, who called for the amendment according to an agreement reached by Iraqi political parties during the time the government was formed.

The Iraqi constitution was implemented in 2006 after the public in Iraq voted in a referendum held on October 15, 2005.

In this matter, Emad al-Khafaji told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the chance now exists to amend the Iraqi constitution despite all circumstances faced.

Khafaji noted that people are asking for these amendments and calling for reforms, thus making it one of the major matters to be solved.

He added that several political blocs, members of the parliament and other parties disapprove this step, and this is why the parliament speaker called for nominating those suitable to start amending the constitution following a timetable.

For his part, Vice President of the Iraqi Legal Advisers Association Ahmed al-Abadi told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the mechanism of amending the constitution is going through different phases, following article 126, which states that the president, cabinet or five members of the House of Representatives have

the right to amend the constitution if two-thirds of the members approve these amendments.