By John Lee.
Iraq's Federal Supreme Court has issued a ruling terminating the appointment of the Speaker of the Parliament, Mohammed Rikani al-Halbousi (pictured below), and ending the membership of a rival Sunni MP, Laith Mustafa Hamoud al-Dulaimi, effective from the date of the judgment on November 14, 2023.
"This decision is final and binding on all authorities," the FSC said in a statement, which gave no reason for the decision.
Considered to be the country's most powerful Sunni politician, Halbousi was the youngest person to serve as Speaker when first appointed in 2018 at the age of 37. He was re-elected for a second term in January 2022. Halbousi formerly held the position of Governor of Anbar.
Al Jazeera reports that the ministers of culture [Dr. Ahmed Fakak Ahmed], planning [Mohammed Ali Tamim] and industry [Dr. Khaled Battal Najm] have handed in their resignations in protest at the decision.
[UPDATE: Subsequent press reports say that the Prime Minister refused to accept the resignations, and that all three ministers remain in their posts.]
(Sources: Federal Supreme Court, Al Jazeera)
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