Monitor

Shia parties Backs Supreme Court ruling on pausing laws passed by parliament last month, criticizes Sunni reaction

BAGHDAD — The Coordination Framework, a Shia political alliance leading the Iraqi government, voiced support for yesterday’s Iraqi Federal Supreme Court’s decision to halt the implementation of three controversial laws passed in a recent parliamentary session, calling it a constitutional right of the judiciary. The bloc also criticized the reaction from Sunni political leaders, particularly Mohammed al-Halbousi’s Taqaddum, over the ruling.

“The Coordination Framework announces its support for the Federal Supreme Court in halting the implementation of the laws passed during the parliamentary session held on January 21, 2025, considering it a constitutional right of the court and a legally available course within the democratic process,” the bloc said in a statement Tuesday. “Furthermore, the interim order does not, in any way, imply a ruling on the substance of the right or a preemptive opinion on the lawsuits filed, as the court itself has affirmed.”

The Federal Supreme Court issued the ruling Monday, freezing the implementation of three laws, the General Amnesty Law, the amendment to the Personal Status Law, and the Property Restitution Law. The court’s decision stemmed from legal challenges questioning their constitutionality and the procedures used to pass them in Parliament.

Although the court’s decision halted three laws backed by Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish blocs, opposition has so far come solely from Sunni figures, particularly members of the Taqaddum Party.

Taqaddum Party leader and former Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi strongly condemned the court’s decision, saying in a statement, “we cannot accept the Federal Supreme Court’s politicization and its unjust provisional orders against the innocent.”

He continued, “We will face and resist the decision to suspend the General Amnesty Law through all legal and popular channels. We call for massive protests to reject this injustice and to oppose the authority of Jassim Aboud al-Amiri’s court over other institutions. Additionally, we will completely boycott institutions and events that do not respect the will of the people and the agreements between Iraq’s communities.”

In response, the Coordination Framework dismissed the criticism. “The Coordination Framework expresses astonishment at the campaign against the Federal Supreme Court, seeing it as an attempt to undermine its reputation and strip it of its constitutional right to oversee the constitutionality of laws,” the statement read.

Full text of The Coordination Framework’s statement:

The Coordination Framework announces its support for the Federal Supreme Court in halting the implementation of the laws passed during the parliamentary session held on January 21, 2025, considering it a constitutional right of the court and a legally available course within the democratic process. Furthermore, the interim order does not, in any way, imply a ruling on the substance of the right or a preemptive opinion on the lawsuits filed, as the court itself has affirmed.

The Coordination Framework expresses astonishment at the campaign against the Federal Supreme Court, seeing it as an attempt to undermine its reputation and strip it of its constitutional right to oversee the constitutionality of laws.

The Coordination Framework reaffirms the court’s right to examine the violations that accompanied the parliamentary session, including the lack of quorum and the mechanism of voting on three laws in a single package, which constitutes a dangerous precedent and a clear and explicit violation of the law and the internal regulations of the Parliament.

While the Coordination Framework reiterates its commitment to the ministerial program and the political agreement document, it also reaffirms the principle of separation of powers and the necessity of respecting the judiciary as the fundamental regulator for resolving differences in viewpoints among various parties, serving as a binding and governing course for all political forces.