Suspension of Iraqi Parliament Sparks Threats to Withhold Salaries from MPs

Iraqi Parliament's media office

Iraqi parliament hall.

Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, the Speaker of the Iraqi parliament, has confirmed that the parliament has been suspended for a month and a half, which he deemed unacceptable, as citizens expect their representatives to be active and were elected for this purpose. 

In a televised statement monitored by PUKMEDIA, al-Mashhadani said: "We should consider withholding the salaries of both MPs and the Speaker of Parliament because no work has been done for over a month, as salaries are given in exchange for work." 

He further explained: "There has been no political decision to suspend the parliament, but the disagreement over the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) law is the issue. Some parties are opposed to the law being enacted until the PMF's structure is approved, and this is the main reason behind the suspension."

Meanwhile, MP Sabah Habib from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan bloc told PUKMEDIA: "Legally, the Speaker of Parliament cannot withhold MPs' salaries, but he can refer to the attendance records for parliamentary sessions." 

He added: "In Parliament, we have a previous decision to deduct one million dinars from any MP who misses a session, and the Speaker can enforce this decision, holding absent MPs accountable for their lack of attendance." He continued: "The Kurdish blocs have attended all parliamentary sessions and never missed any. During the recent period, we attended Parliament several times, but the sessions were not held due to the lack of a quorum, as some parliamentary blocs boycotted the sessions. The Speaker should take action against the MPs who were absent."

The Iraqi Parliament Presidency had earlier decided to penalise MPs who miss parliamentary sessions by deducting amounts from their monthly salaries. 

According to the source, "Any MP who misses a session will have one million dinars deducted from their salary, and a deduction of 500,000 dinars will apply for any absence from parliamentary committee meetings."



PUKMEDIA