Key Takeaways:
PMF Arrests Scrutinized After Suspected Torture-Caused Death; Oil Minister Faces Mounting Pressure – On September 15, independent lawmakers called on the judiciary and PM Kadhimi to hold the head of the Popular Mobilization Commission accountable for a wave of recent arrests deemed extrajudicial. The call came after a… Read more
Key Takeaways:
Halbousi And Barzani Ignore Sadr’s Call To Withdraw From Parliament; Coordination Framework Makes New Push To Form Government – On September 11, Masoud Barzani, Mohammed al-Halbousi, and Khamis al-Khanjar said that the current parliament must be able to function until a new election could be held and emphasized… Read more
Key Takeaways:
Sadr Calls On Sunni And Kurdish Allies To Withdraw From Parliament After Court Rejects His Demand To Dissolve It – On September 7, Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court rejected a case filed by the Sadrist bloc in which they demanded the Court’s intervention to dissolve parliament. The Court said… Read more
Key Takeaways:
Coordination Framework To Resume Government Formation Efforts Following Sadr’s Chaotic “Retirement” From Politics; Kadhimi Threatens To Step Down – On August 29, Muqtada al-Sadr announced his “final retirement” from politics and the closing of “all institutions” associated with his movement. The move came hours after a senior Iran-based… Read more
Key Takeaways:
Iraq’s Judiciary Prosecutes Senior Sadrists Over Alleged Threats; Militia Leader Calls For Killing Kadhimi – On August 23, crowds of Muqtada al-Sadr’s followers surrounded the Supreme Judicial Council’s complex in Baghdad to pressure the judiciary to dissolves parliament. The judiciary accused the Sadrists of sending threatening phone messages… Read more
Key Takeaways:
Judiciary Rejects Sadr’s Demand To Dissolve Parliament; Finance Minister Allawi Resigns; Sadr Dismisses Calls For Dialogue Even As Rivals Show Flexibility On Early Elections – On August 14, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council said it lacks the authority to dissolve parliament after Muqtada al-Sadr demanded its intervention to dissolve… Read more
Key Takeaways:
Lawmakers Arrested In Kurdistan Protests; Sadr Gives The Judiciary A Week To Dissolve Parliament; Baghdad Braces For Framework, Sadrist Demonstrations; Kurdistan Election Delayed – On August 6, protests demanding jobs and payment of delayed public servants’ salaries erupted in Sulaymaniyah and Erbil. Security forces used tear gas and… Read more
Key Takeaways:
Sadr Demands Early Elections, Rejects Calls For Dialogue As Followers Occupy Parliament; Counter-Protests By Rivals Raise Fear Of Violence – On August 3, Muqtada al-Sadr called for the dissolution of Parliament and early elections, but said he hasn’t decided whether he would participate in those. Sadr also asked… Read more
Key Takeaways:
Sadrists Responds To Rivals’ PM Pick By Storming The Parliament Building; Iraq Asks Security Council To Press For Turkish Withdrawal – On July 25, the Coordination Framework (CF) officially nominated Mohammed Shya al-Sudani as its PM candidate. Sudani, a former minister in Nouri al-Maliki’s second cabinet (2010-2014) and… Read more
Key Takeaways:
Sadr Tells Maliki To Leave Politics As Leaked Recordings Reveal Civil War Threats; Baghdad Demands Turkish Withdrawal After Deadly Shelling – On July 17, Nouri al-Maliki said that audio recordings posted by an Iraqi commentator on Twitter, in which Maliki allegedly attacked other political leaders and threatened violence,… Read more
