Iraqi Parliament to vote on controversial property, pardon, and personal status laws this Sunday

BAGHDAD – Iraq’s Parliament is set to convene on Sunday to vote on three controversial bills, each representing key demands of the country’s Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish political factions.

According to the parliamentary agenda released Thursday, the first bill for a vote is the Draft Law for Returning Properties to Their Owners Affected by Certain Decisions of the Dissolved Revolutionary Command Council. Strongly backed by Kurdish blocs, the bill aims to return properties confiscated during the Baath regime, particularly in Kirkuk, to their original Kurdish owners.

The second bill up for a vote is an amendment to the 2016 Pardon Law, championed by Sunni leaders. Many Sunnis argue that following ISIS’s control of predominantly Sunni provinces in 2014, thousands of individuals were wrongfully detained on accusations of terrorist affiliations. Sunni political factions claim that numerous individuals were imprisoned without formal court orders under Iraq’s “Terrorism Law No. 4,” which imposes the death penalty for anyone found to have joined armed groups.

The third and most contentious proposal is an amendment to Iraq’s Personal Status Law, supported by Shia political parties. The bill would allow Iraqis to choose whether family-related matters—such as divorce, inheritance, and child custody—are handled by religious authorities or civil courts. Critics, however, warn that the changes could reduce protections for women and may lower the legal marriage age for Muslim girls from 18, a right guaranteed under the 1959 law.

These three proposals have long faced challenges in securing parliamentary consensus. However, their collective presentation in Sunday’s session indicates a possible reciprocal agreement among Iraq’s Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish factions to push through their respective priorities.