Ahmed Al-Jubouri calls for unity over Parliament speakership

BAGHDAD – Ahmed Al-Jubouri, the leader of the Masses Party, called upon Sunni politicians on Tuesday to prioritize unity over differences and to view the position of the Iraqi Parliament speaker as a communal entitlement rather than belonging to any specific leader or faction.

In a statement on the X platform followed by 964media, Al-Jubouri, also known as Abu Mazen, said, “The Sunnis of Iraq do not deserve the consequences of their political disagreements.”

In a forceful rebuke of his fellow Sunni politicians, Al-Jubouri remarked, “Our people have endured the impossible… Leadership is not forged through defamation and a conspiracy mindset. Positions may be transient, but the community endures.”

Al-Jabouri’s party is the dominant groups in Salah Al-Din province and recently elected its governor, pending approval by Iraq’s President Abdul Latif Rashid.

The position of Parliament speaker has remained vacant since November 2023 following the Federal Supreme Court’s removal of then-speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi on charges of document forgery.

As per Iraq’s ethno-sectarian power-sharing arrangement, the position of Parliament speaker is allocated to the Sunni community, while the presidency is designated for Kurds and the prime ministerial role for Shia groups.

Sunni blocs within the Iraqi Parliament have thus far been unable to reach a consensus on a single candidate to succeed Halbousi.