Aqil Al-Fatlawi says ‘most’ political parties will attend extraordinary parliamentary session on electoral commission term extension

BAGHDAD — Most political parties are expected to attend Iraq’s extraordinary parliamentary session today, according to Aqil Al-Fatlawi, spokesperson for the State of Law Coalition. The session aims to address the expiration of the Independent High Electoral Commission’s Board of Commissioners’ term, set to end on Jan. 7.

“There is a general consensus among political blocs, and we expect a strong turnout from parliamentary members to ensure the session proceeds smoothly,” Al-Fatlawi said during an interview with Al-Rasheed TV.

“We are now faced with two options: either extend the term of the IHEC board of commissioners or replace it. The easier option is to extend the term, as the mechanisms for replacing the Board require more time,” Al-Fatlawi explained.

On Jan. 2, 2025, Iraqi Speaker of Parliament Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani announced an extraordinary session scheduled for Today to deliberate on extending the term of the Independent High Electoral Commission’s Board of Commissioners. According to the Speaker’s media office, Al-Mashhadani’s call, based on Article 58 (First) of the Constitution and Article 34 (Third) of Parliament’s internal regulations, aims to address the imminent expiration of the IHEC board of commissioners’ term, following a request from the Board under Article 7 (First) of the amended Independent High Electoral Commission Law No. 31 of 2019.

Some excerpts from Al-Fatlawi interview on Al-Rasheed TV:

Extraordinary parliamentary sessions are usually held for urgent matters. The session is dedicated to discussing the expiration of the term of the Board of Commissioners, which ends on the 7th of this month. At that point, we will face a constitutional crisis.

Political forces met before the legislative recess and discussed the issue of the board of commissioners for three hours. Parliament was meant to convene and vote on extending the term of the board, but unfortunately, a quorum was not achieved at the time.

We are now faced with two options: either extend the term of the Board of Commissioners or replace it. The easier option is to extend the term, as the mechanisms for replacing the Board require more time. The nine members are appointed with five nominated by the Federal Judiciary Council, two by the Kurdistan Judicial Council, and two by the State Council, followed by a lottery process in the presence of representatives from the United Nations and civil society organizations.

The State of Law Coalition supports extending the term of the Board of Commissioners because time does not allow for replacement. We were supposed to address this issue months ago, but unfortunately, that did not happen. Now we are racing against time. However, a delay is still better than plunging into a major constitutional crisis.

Most political forces have instructed their deputies to attend the session. If the issue is not resolved during the session, it will be postponed until Monday, a decision left to the presidency of the parliament.