11 MPs break away from Al-Halbousi’s Taqaddoum Party

BAGHDAD — MP Ziad Al-Janabi announced on June 6 that he and 10 other MPs have split from the Taqaddoum (Progress) Party, led by former Iraqi parliament speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi. The new faction is called the Mubadara, or “Initiative,” Bloc.

The group cited “political stagnation” and the “legislative authority’s inability to elect a new speaker for many months” as reasons for their departure, expressing hope that this move will “break the current deadlock” in the country.

In its statement, the Mubadara Bloc expressed its commitment to maintaining a neutral stance among all parties and emphasized its goal of realizing “our people’s goals and aspirations.”

It remains unclear whether Mubadara will join Taqaddoum’s rival Sunni groups in electing a new speaker. Iraq’s Parliament has been without a speaker since last November, when the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court removed Al-Halbousi from his position for forging a letter in the name of a fellow MP. Despite holding two sessions for that purpose, the Parliament has failed to elect a new speaker due to disagreements among Sunni groups over nominating a single candidate for the position.

The political stalemate over electing a new speaker has led to splits within Sunni Arab ranks. Recently, five MPs broke away from the rival Sunni Siyada (Sovereignty) Bloc and joined Taqaddoum. Taqaddoum, which was the largest Sunni group following the 2021 parliamentary elections with at least 37 MPs, insists that the speaker position should be held by one of its members. Given the recent splits, it is unclear exactly how many members Taqaddoum’s parliamentary bloc currently has.