Iraqi Prime Minister refuses resignation of ministers amidst Political turmoil
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has declined the resignation of three Cabinet ministers who stepped down in protest over the dismissal of parliament speaker Mohamed Al Halbousi.
The supreme court’s decision to dismiss Al Halbousi, a prominent Sunni Muslim politician, stemmed from accusations of document forgery made by a lawmaker.
The ministers of culture, industry, and planning, all affiliated with Al Halbousi’s Taqadom Party, tendered their resignations in response to the dismissal. However, Prime Minister Al-Sudani, through an official statement from his office on Monday, announced his rejection of these resignations, asserting that the ministers would resume their duties “in service of our beloved people.”
The statement emphasized Al-Sudani’s government’s commitment to comprehensive political representation, aligning with the goal of supporting political stability across Iraq’s multi-ethnic landscape. The country’s power-sharing system, established post the 2003 US-led invasion, divides political positions among Iraq’s ethnic and confessional communities.
While the president hails from the Kurdish community, the prime minister is a Shiite Muslim, representing the majority, and the parliament speaker represents the Sunni Muslim community. The current political scenario is further complicated by the dominance of a coalition of pro-Iran Shiite parties in the 329-member parliament.
Al Halbousi, who led a substantial Sunni bloc with his Taqadom Party, faced internal dissent within Iraq’s Sunni political sphere in recent months. Laith Al Duleimi, an MP for Taqadom, accused Al Halbousi of forging a resignation letter, alleging manipulation of an older document to force his removal from parliament.
Despite the court’s decision and the subsequent resignations, Al Halbousi has contested the verdict, labeling it a “strange” decision and attributing it to efforts aimed at destabilizing the country.
