Iraqi parliament postpones vote on Personal Status Law amendment

BAGHDAD – The Iraqi Parliament has postponed its Wednesday session, which was set to include a vote on an amendment to the Personal Status Law, according to a statement from the parliamentary media office.

“The parliamentary session set for today has been postponed,” the office announced, without providing details on the reasons for the delay or when the session would be rescheduled.

Karim Shkur, a member of the Iraqi Parliament from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan bloc, told 964media that “some Shia MPs who oppose the amendment, along with the majority of Sunni bloc MPs, did not attend today’s scheduled session, which resulted in a lack of quorum.”

He added, “The Sunni MPs were frustrated because the bill to amend the general pardon was not included on the session’s agenda to vote on, which is why they chose not to attend.”

The agenda for Wednesday’s session included votes on the Personal Status Law amendment, backed by the majority of Shia blocs, and the property restitution bill, which is strongly supported by Kurdish factions. Sunni blocs, meanwhile, have been pushing for the passage of the general pardon bill. Discussions between the three major political groups are ongoing in an attempt to reach a deal where all three bills would be passed together, with each bloc agreeing to vote for the others’ priorities.

The proposed amendments to the Personal Status Law, introduced on Aug. 4, have sparked protests across Iraq A second reading was held on Sept. 16, and the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court recently endorsed the amendments, stating they ‘align with’ the constitution.

In response to the growing controversy, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council criticized media coverage of the amendments as “inaccurate.” The council clarified that the changes are grounded in Article 41 of the 2005 Iraqi Constitution, which allows Iraqis to address personal status matters, such as marriage and inheritance, in accordance with their religious beliefs and personal “choices.”

The amendments would allow family matters, including inheritance, divorce, and child custody, to be resolved by either religious authorities or the civil judiciary, depending on individual preference. Critics argue that these changes could undermine existing legal protections, particularly for women, and could lower the minimum marriage age of 18 for Muslim girls.

The property restitution bill, officially titled the Draft Law for Returning Properties to Their Owners Affected by Certain Decisions of the Dissolved Revolutionary Command Council, underwent its first and second readings in Parliament in April. While it was initially scheduled for a vote in a previous session, it was removed from the agenda without explanation. Another vote, planned for May 22, was also postponed.

Most recently, Parliament postponed voting on the property restitution bill on Monday, sparking frustration among Kurdish MPs who have been pushing for its passage.