No Speaker
Even after several weeks, the Iraqi Parliaments vacation did not do them any good. Today, Tuesday, they still could not elect a Speaker, still waiting on the courts decision on the matter. Remember without a Speaker nothing gets done no legislation enacted, no Oil and Gas Law, nothing and the drama continues.
By the way, do you know what else they do not have? The certified results from the last provincial elections that were held on 31 Jan 2009.
Iraqi parliament opens session without speakerBAGHDAD—Iraq's deputy parliament speaker called on lawmakers Tuesday to elect a speaker even as the country's highest court is still determining how many votes are needed to make the selection.
Deputy Speaker Khalid al-Attiyah told lawmakers at the opening session of parliament that they needed to elect a speaker and begin dealing with legislative questions. Parliament adjourned for the day without taking action.
Without a speaker, parliamentary lawmakers will be unable to address a number of outstanding issues, chief among them ratifying constitutional amendments and addressing oil and gas laws.
The previous Sunni speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, resigned on Dec. 23 amid widespread complaints about his erratic behavior.
His replacement must be a Sunni Arab under a system that distributes key positions to the different religious and ethnic communities. But the main Sunni bloc, the Iraqi Accordance Front, has been unable to agree on a candidate.
They have asked Iraq's Supreme Court to rule on how many votes are needed to select the speaker.
The question is whether a majority of the full 275-seat parliament is required to pick the speaker or just a majority of the lawmakers who cast votes.