Huqooq Movement lawmaker says Shiite blocs seek alliance to remove speaker

BAGHDAD — Political forces within the Coordination Framework are moving to form a new alliance aimed at removing Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi following disputes over last week’s parliamentary session that approved Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government, a lawmaker said Sunday.

Saud al-Saadi, of the Huqooq Movement, said in an interview on Al Rabia TV that “there is a decision by some blocs to form a new alliance to have a response to what happened in the last session during the vote on ministers, and the first step it will take is the dismissal of the speaker of parliament.” He said other parties were simultaneously trying to reunite the Coordination Framework “under one umbrella to restore matters and pass the remaining agreed-upon ministers.”

Saadi also criticized the political character of the new government, saying Iraq had moved “from the management of a political figure to the management of a businessman.” He said Zaidi “does not possess a political or parliamentary background and does not have a parliamentary incubator, but was created by political wills and economic and financial alliances.” He added: “We need today a statesman who has a vision for building the state, not a company manager.”

On U.S. interference, Saadi said he had heard directly from Coordination Framework leaders that the U.S. chargé d’affaires had been “hosting some leaders and determining who can and cannot become prime minister or minister.” He accused political forces of submitting to “major interventions under the pretext of preserving sovereignty that is already violated in principle.”

The Huqooq Movement announced on May 14 that it would move into parliamentary opposition to monitor and hold the new government accountable. Leader Hussein Mounes said the decision came despite “fundamental reservations” over what he described as “the establishment of dangerous norms” threatening the political process, including “clear American interference.”

The moves follow accusations by State of Law Coalition figures that Halbousi manipulated vote counts and rushed procedures during the session. Lawmaker Yousef al-Kalabi described what happened as “a clear betrayal and an insult to the council,” while Hisham al-Rikabi, media head for coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki, accused Halbousi of procedural violations that caused interior ministry nominee Lt. Gen. Qassem Atta to fail despite majority support.

Parliament voted Thursday to approve Zaidi’s government, confirming 14 ministers while rejecting nominees for planning, culture, higher education, interior and construction and housing. Voting on defense, labor, migration and youth and sports ministries was postponed.