Less than a week after the Iraqi parliament elected Mahmoud al-Mashhadani as speaker, the “political agreement” document has returned to the spotlight due to delays in its implementation caused by disagreements.
The speaker's position had been vacant for nearly a year after former speaker Mohamed al-Halbousi was dismissed by the Federal Supreme Court amid Sunni-Sunni and Sunni-Shiite tensions.
Al-Mashhadani, who had been competing for about nine months with four other candidates, including Salem al-Essawi, was elected with broad Sunni support and full backing from Shiite factions, as a key member of the Shiite Coordination Framework defended his candidacy.
A former Sunni politician and ex-MP told Asharq Al-Awsat that “practically, there is no Sunni-Sunni dispute over al-Mashhadani.”
“The issue is with his nomination process and the involvement of a Shiite party, which shouldn't be a factor, especially when Sunnis should have the right to choose their candidate based on sectarian quotas,” the source noted.
They added that “the delay in electing a speaker for a year was caused by Shiite forces insisting on a specific Sunni candidate, al-Mashhadani.”
“This sparked debate within the Sunni bloc, though all Sunnis, before this insistence, saw al-Mashhadani as one of the last respected historical Sunni leaders after 2003, often called 'the elder' because of his age,” the source noted.
The politician also pointed out that “Sunnis have key demands, which were part of the current government led by Mohamed Shia' al-Sudani, including the law on general amnesty, which is still being debated after being watered down, as well as the dissolution of the Accountability and Justice Commission and its shift to a judicial matter instead of being used against the Sunni community.”
At a meeting of the “State Administration Coalition” on Thursday evening, discussions on implementing the political agreement document resurfaced after the parliament resumed its sessions and extended its legislative term following the election of a new speaker.
According to sources, during the meeting, which included al-Sudani, al-Mashhadani, and leaders from the Shiite Coordination Framework, as well as Sunni and Kurdish representatives, Al-Siyada Alliance leader Khamis al-Khanjar presented the document.
He criticized the failure to implement Sunni demands, despite two years passing since the document was signed, and warned that further delays would have consequences.
Al-Khanjar, who recently resigned from the Al-Siyada party after being included in the Accountability and Justice file, had initially supported al-Mashhadani’s candidacy for speaker, despite backing his own candidate, Salem al-Essawi, earlier.
