Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

‘No authority’: Iraq judiciary says it cannot dissolve parliament

‘No authority’: Iraq judiciary says it cannot dissolve parliament

The Supreme Judicial Council responded to an ultimatum by Muqtada al-Sadr amid a paralysing political crisis.

Iraq’s top judicial body says it does not have the authority to dissolve the country’s parliament, days after influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr escalated a political standoff by giving it one week to dismiss the legislature so new elections can be held.

The decision is likely to increase tensions between Iran-backed groups in the Coordination Framework and al-Sadr’s followers, who repeatedly stormed the parliament and suspended a session to nominate a new prime minister.

“The Supreme Judicial Council does not have the authority to dissolve parliament,” it said in a statement, adding it cannot “interfere in the work of the legislative or executive authorities”.

Al-Sadr, whose political bloc won the largest number of seats in parliament in October but failed to form a majority government that excluded his Iran-aligned rivals, tweeted on Wednesday that the judiciary had one week to dissolve the legislature.

He called on his followers Saturday night to be ready to hold massive protests all over Iraq, raising concerns over new tensions, but did not set a date for the demonstrations.

Iraq is now in its 10th month of political impasse, the longest in the country since the 2003 United States-led invasion reset the political order. The road map ahead is unclear as parliament has exceeded the constitutional timeline for forming a new government following the vote.

In its statement, the Supreme Judicial Council said it agreed with al-Sadr’s criticism of the system’s “failure to elect a president of the republic, a prime minister and the absence of a government formed within the constitutional timeframe”.

“This is an unacceptable situation that must be remedied,” it said.




‘Million-man demonstration’


On July 30, thousands of al-Sadr’s followers stormed the heavily fortified Green Zone – which houses Iraq’s government buildings and foreign embassies – for the second time in a week. They have since held a sit-in outside parliament.

All sessions of the assembly were cancelled until further notice, effectively halting efforts by the Coordination Framework to try and form the next government after al-Sadr failed to do so.

Al-Sadr’s followers stopped short of overrunning the Supreme Judicial Council building next door, in an act many would consider a coup.

On Friday, supporters of the Coordination Framework launched their own Baghdad sit-in to protest the occupation of the legislature by al-Sadr’s supporters.

On Twitter, a close associate of Sadr, Saleh Mohamed al-Iraqi, said it was time to show “which of the two sides has the most support” among the Iraqi people.

He called on al-Sadr’s supporters across the country to rally in Baghdad for a “million-man demonstration”, without giving a date.


Electoral rules


Even if the Shia rivals were to agree to hold elections, fundamental differences remain about electoral rules.

Al-Sadr wants to use the same rules as in the October election, when Iraq was divided into 83 electoral districts. The cleric’s bloc emerged from the vote as parliament’s biggest, but still far short of a majority.

The current law benefits parties with a strong grassroots base like that of al-Sadr, who grew his seat tally from 54 to 73, while the Iran-backed parties saw a decrease from 48 to 16.

The Coordination Framework wants the law to be amended. However, the parliament building is closed as hundreds of al-Sadr’s followers are camped outside, preventing parliamentarians from entering.

The debilitating political gridlock has further weakened the country’s caretaker government and its ability to provide basic services.

Ordinary Iraqis are increasingly frustrated because the caretaker government is struggling to provide basic services such as electricity and water.

Unable to pass a budget law, the government has resorted to stop-gap measures to fund urgent expenses such as food and electricity payments to neighbouring countries, while crucial investments, including in water infrastructure, have been stalled.



Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×