Al-Mashhadani’s statements shake the political scene. Demands for an apology follow an urgent meeting.
On Monday, parliamentarians attacked Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani over statements he made warning of demonstrations that would destabilize Iraq. He also spoke of US pressure to dissolve the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The MPs threatened to remove al-Mashhadani from his post .
Independent MP Alaa Al-Haidari told Shafaq News Agency, “The suspicious statements issued by Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, who represents the highest authority in the Iraqi state and has made more than one media appearance, constitute a failure on his part .”
He added: “We demanded that the Speaker of the Council offer a public apology to the Iraqi people for insulting the Iraqi identity, which is more than 5,000 years old. This identity has been tainted by the blood of Imam Hussein and the martyrs. We will not accept insulting this identity. Al-Mashhadani must immediately apologize to the Iraqi people. If he does not, we will collect signatures to remove him from his position .”
In a related development, independent MP Yousef Al-Kalabi told the agency, “Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, First Deputy Speaker Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, and Second Deputy Speaker Shakhwan Abdullah are currently holding a meeting regarding what happened in today’s session .”
Al-Kalabi added, “Those currently meeting are keen to manage the legislative authority, keep it away from external conflicts, and reconvene sessions to read and legislate laws .”
Earlier on Monday, a parliamentary source revealed that a verbal altercation broke out inside the House of Representatives between Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, First Deputy Speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi, and a number of Coordination Framework MPs, leading to the postponement of today’s session .
The source told Shafaq News Agency that the dispute erupted over Al-Mashhadani’s recent statements regarding the political process and elections .
Prior to that, al-Mashhadani said in a televised interview on Dijlah TV that Iraq was set to witness demonstrations next month, and that we might resort to an “emergency government” if security turmoil occurred in Iraq. He also confirmed that the US had sent messages to all political leaders regarding the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), indicating that the US approach was to integrate the PMF into the security forces, not restructure it .
Shafaq.com