Iraq: The Parliament That Barely Meets

Maliki’s apology angered the speaker and a number of oppositionist MPs. At a news conference attended by Al-Monitor, Nujaifi said that “Maliki is marginalizing the parliament.” Some Sunni MPs went even to greater lengths, accusing Maliki of undervaluing the lives of Iraqis.

The Maliki-led State of Law Coalition fears that if the parliament hosted the prime minister, the session will be used to put down Maliki politically in front of media outlets. The coalition believes that this is not the right time for such an encounter to occur, especially since it coincides with the heightened provincial electoral campaigns.

Nujaifi, who senses a challenge in Maliki’s stance and an attempt to limit his influence, has decided to give Maliki a delay until April 8 to come before the parliament and provide convincing answers to the questions of MPs regarding security issues.

Clearly, the MPs right to question, as stipulated in the constitution, will be used personally between the coalition leaders. Therefore, the constitutional mechanisms will be the victim of political rivalry.

Amid this environment, Maliki’s reaction seemed more challenging than that of Nujaifi. The prime minister apologized again for not being able to attend and asked the MPs who wished to question him to write to him with their questions.

Both leaders can take this challenge further, but the parliament seems to be standing on shaky ground at a time when the legislative capacities, under the control of Nujaifi, and executive capacities, controlled by Maliki, are fuelling the rivalry between the two men.

The request of hosting Maliki in the parliament and the latter’s refusal can exemplify what the parliament has been capable of doing since the establishment of democracy in the country.

Ali Abel Sadah is a writer and journalist from Baghdad working in both Iraqi and Arab media. He was the editorial manager of a number of local newspapers, and was a political and cultural reporter for over 10 years. He has published in various newspapers and magazines covering Iraqi political affairs, human rights and civil society.