The Iraqi parliament’s legislative session has been extended for an additional month (update).

MP Ibtisam Al-Hilali, from the State of Law bloc, revealed on Thursday that there is an agreement between the Speaker of Parliament and the heads of political blocs to extend the current legislative session for an additional month.

Al-Hilali told Shafaq News Agency that “there is an agreement between the Speaker of Parliament and the heads of the political blocs to extend the current legislative session for another month, after the first legislative session was scheduled to end during these days, and to continue until the end of next month.”

She added that “the decision to extend comes in order to form the next government, which will follow the appointment of the candidate of the Coordination Framework, and in accordance with Article 76 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the person tasked with forming the government shall present his ministerial formation to the House of Representatives within a period of 30 days.”

Al-Hilali pointed out that “there are many laws in the corridors of parliamentary committees, which need to be read and discussed in preparation for their approval during the upcoming sessions.”

According to the Iraqi constitutional system, the House of Representatives holds two legislative sessions annually, interspersed with two legislative recesses. Sometimes, the parliament’s leadership resorts to extending the legislative session or holding extraordinary sessions to address urgent political and legislative issues, especially during the stages of forming governments or passing postponed laws.

The House of Representatives later announced the extension of its legislative session for 30 days, according to a statement issued by the House’s media department.

Shafaq.com

The Central Bank of Iraq announces its readiness to cover the dollar demands of pilgrims and travelers.

The Central Bank of Iraq confirmed on Tuesday that it has met all requests from banks and exchange companies for US dollars allocated to pilgrims, travelers, and foreign transfers.

The bank stated in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency that “the names of exchange companies authorized to sell dollars to travelers and pilgrims are available through its official website, which ensures the smooth flow of procedures and regulates sales operations in accordance with the approved regulations.”

The statement called for “visiting the official website of the Central Bank of Iraq to learn about the banks and companies specializing in selling dollars to travelers.”

It is worth noting that a source in the Hajj and Umrah Authority told Shafaq News Agency earlier that Tuesday, April 21, will witness the launch of the first land trip that includes the Authority’s employees and food and service staff, as part of the preparations for the Hajj season.

The Central Bank of Iraq had previously announced that all Iraqi pilgrims would be included in the process of selling dollars allocated for land and air travelers, setting a ceiling of (2000) dollars for each pilgrim, at the official exchange rate of (1320) dinars per dollar.

Shafaq.com

Weighing the blocs on the table of the framework… Al-Maliki and Al-Sudani resort to the “decisive weight”

An informed source revealed on Tuesday details of the visit of caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to the leader of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, during which a number of proposals were discussed to end the political deadlock regarding the selection of the Coordination Framework candidate for the next government.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that “among the proposals to resolve the deadlock is adopting the framework for choosing the next prime minister, meaning that the candidate must obtain an absolute majority from the representatives of the framework, or adopting the parliamentary weight of the blocs supporting the candidate from which he will come.”

In other words, the source explained that if (Maliki or Sudani) insist on holding on to their nomination, the parliamentary weight that their blocs represent, in coordination with the other supporting blocs, will decide the matter, provided that one of them exceeds two-thirds, which is equivalent to (10) votes within the total votes of the leaders of the coordination framework.

According to the source, if it becomes impossible to reach an agreement with the other forces within the framework on the aforementioned proposals, a compromise candidate will be chosen who has political and governmental experience in managing the country amidst the security, economic and political challenges and is internationally acceptable.

The source added that there is a near convergence between Maliki and Sudani in adopting the proposals and putting them on the table of the coordination framework in the next meeting, noting that the inter-visits are continuing until tomorrow to mature the visions and proposals in order to reach logical solutions that end the deadlock.

Shafaq.com

Alawi: Iran’s blessing is still in place for Maliki to assume the position of Prime Minister

Ali Al-Alawi, a member of the State of Law Coalition, confirmed that Iran’s blessing for Maliki to assume the position of Prime Minister is still in place, noting that Tehran sees Maliki as a good negotiator in the Middle East towards the Western and European camp.

Al-Alawi told Al-Maalouma that “the blessing of the leader of the Islamic Revolution, the martyr Sayyid Ali Khamenei, regarding the appointment of the head of the State of Law Coalition to the position of Prime Minister is still valid.”

He added that “Iran had previously supported Iraq in the matter of choosing the prime minister and forming the new government before the outbreak of the war, and this project is still ongoing, and it is one of the projects in which Iran supports Iraq.”

He explained that “Iran knows very well who stands with it and who stands against it, and worked to support Maliki’s appointment as Prime Minister, as he would be one of the negotiators in the Middle East with the Western and European camp, especially with the changing circumstances in the region.”

Almaalomah.me

The Sudanese abstained… The Algerian reveals the behind-the-scenes details of the “secret vote” within the framework.

On Tuesday, Abdul Rahman al-Jazaeri, a member of the Coordination Framework, revealed details of the recent meeting of Shia political forces to resolve the issue of the prime ministership. He confirmed the official withdrawal of the nominations of Nouri al-Maliki and Haider al-Abadi, while noting that prominent leaders abstained from the secret ballot.

Al-Jazaeri told Al-Maalomah News Agency that “the leaders of the Coordination Framework held a decisive meeting that involved resorting to a secret ballot to choose an alternative candidate from among the remaining nominees for the position of prime minister.” He explained that “the voting process took place with the participation of 9 out of 12 leaders.”

He added that “Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, head of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, and two other leaders of the Framework abstained from the secret ballot on the nomination,” indicating that “the official announcement of the final candidate for prime minister will be made next Wednesday.”

Almaalomah.me

MP: Repeatedly postponing meetings to decide on the prime ministership could open a door for foreign interference

MP Mukhtar al-Youssef, from the Badr parliamentary bloc, warned on Tuesday against the repeated postponement of meetings of the Coordination Framework regarding the selection of the largest bloc’s candidate for the position of the next prime minister. He called on the framework’s leaders to resolve the issue next Wednesday, as further delays could open the door to foreign interference.

Al-Youssef told the Information Agency that “the leaders of the Coordination Framework are obligated to their constituents and the Iraqi public to resolve this issue in next Wednesday’s meeting,” warning that “continued postponement will have undesirable repercussions on the political landscape.”

He added that “failure to resolve the prime ministership issue as quickly as possible could open the door to foreign interference in national affairs, which is completely unacceptable.”

It is worth noting that the leaders of the Coordination Framework held a meeting Monday evening without reaching an agreement on the largest bloc’s candidate for the next prime minister, and the meeting was postponed until Wednesday.

Almaalomah.me

Al-Jalabi: No new candidate will be nominated for prime minister without Maliki’s official withdrawal.

Zuhair al-Jalabi, a member of the Coordination Framework, clarified the situation regarding the nomination of the next prime minister on Tuesday, confirming that Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, remains the current candidate for the position.

Al-Jalabi told the Information Agency, “The Coordination Framework cannot proceed with nominating any other figure unless al-Maliki’s nomination is officially withdrawn,” noting that the latter has not yet announced his withdrawal.

He added, “This procedure also applies to the caretaker Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as no alternative or new nomination can be put forward unless the current candidate’s position is resolved and he officially announces his withdrawal from the race.”
Earlier, Firas al-Muslawi, spokesperson for the Reconstruction and Development Bloc, revealed that two specific mechanisms have been proposed to resolve the issue of selecting the largest bloc’s candidate for the position of Prime Minister, indicating that the leaders of the Coordination Framework will choose one of them in a meeting on Wednesday.

Almaalomah.me

The “two-thirds” requirement is a sticking point for consensus… Disagreements over mechanisms are hindering the nomination of a prime ministerial candidate within the framework.

Political data indicates strong signs that the forces meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, will fail to reach a final agreement for the leaders of the framework, due to the deepening gap of disagreements over the implementation mechanisms presented for discussion during yesterday’s meeting. The last few hours have witnessed a sharp divergence of views among the active parties, as some blocs insist on procedural paths that other parties reject and consider a violation of previous understandings regarding the selection of previous heads of government. This has put the anticipated meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, at risk of postponement. Sources close to the leaders of the coordinating framework indicated that the main obstacle lies in the “devil in the details” related to the mechanism for selecting the candidate of the largest bloc for the next prime minister, which makes the announcement of the “framework agreement” tomorrow unlikely in light of the current tension and the insistence on not making mutual concessions that would end the existing deadlock.

In this context, Firas al-Muslawi, spokesperson for the Reconstruction and Development Bloc, revealed on Tuesday that two specific mechanisms have been proposed to resolve the issue of selecting the largest bloc’s candidate for the position of Prime Minister. He indicated that the leaders of the Coordination Framework will choose one of them in a meeting on Wednesday.

Al-Muslawi told the Al-Maalomah News Agency that “the leaders of the Coordination Framework agreed in a meeting on Monday evening that the nomination of the next candidate should be based on a two-thirds majority system to ensure acceptance and proceed with the formation of the government.”

He added that “the current discussions are focused on finalizing the two-thirds mechanism, with two options being presented: the first requires a two-thirds vote from the leaders of the Framework’s constituent forces, and the second requires a two-thirds majority vote from the members of Parliament belonging exclusively to the Coordination Framework’s constituent forces.”

Al-Muslawi indicated that “tomorrow’s meeting, Wednesday, will be crucial in choosing one of these two mechanisms to immediately begin the procedures for nominating the next prime minister.”

For his part, Jassim Mohammed Jaafar, a leader in the State of Law Coalition, confirmed on Tuesday that the established practice within the Coordination Framework for nominating previous prime ministers was based on the leadership of the Coordination Framework itself, not on parliamentary weight. He noted that this proposal could be agreed upon, provided it is implemented during the upcoming elections and not during the current parliamentary session.

Jaafar added in a statement to Al-Maalouma News Agency that “the disagreement within the Coordination Framework remains complex,” and he predicted that “no agreement will be reached on resolving the issue of the largest bloc’s candidate for the next prime minister during tomorrow’s meeting.”

It is worth noting that the leaders of the Coordination Framework held a meeting Monday evening without reaching an agreement on the largest bloc’s candidate for the next prime minister, and the meeting was postponed until Wednesday.

Almaalomah.me

The International Maritime Organization is considering evacuating ships stranded in the Gulf.

The head of the International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez, announced on Tuesday that the organization is working on a plan to evacuate hundreds of ships stranded in the Gulf region, amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Bloomberg quoted Dominguez as saying that the plan would only be implemented when there were clear signs of de-escalation in the region.

He explained that the ongoing discussions include organizing the departure of ships, including arranging departures according to the length of time crews stay in the area and other operational and security factors.

A representative of the London-based International Maritime Organization noted that the organization has urged ships not to cross the Strait of Hormuz without obtaining safety guarantees.

Earlier today, Greek maritime risk management company Marisex reported that some shipping companies stranded west of the Strait of Hormuz had received fraudulent messages promising safe passage in exchange for cryptocurrency.

This comes at a time of continued disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed before the outbreak of war in the Middle East.

Shafaq.com

Shortly before the end of the truce, Trump may participate in the Islamabad talks.

Reuters, citing a Pakistani source, reported on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump may participate in person or online if an agreement is reached during the ongoing talks.

The source stated that “the atmosphere is positive, and the talks are proceeding according to the set timetable, with indications of progress in the discussions.”

In the same context, an official Pakistani source revealed to Al Arabiya channel that “the delegations of the United States and Iran arrived in Islamabad simultaneously to begin a new round of talks.”

In this context, Pakistani diplomatic sources confirmed the arrival of the preliminary Iranian delegation in Islamabad, noting that the preliminary American delegation is also present in the capital.

These developments come as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions between Washington and Tehran.

The truce between Washington and Tehran is scheduled to end at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday (3:30 a.m. Thursday Tehran time).

On Monday, Islamabad asked Tehran and Washington to extend the ceasefire truce.

Shafaq.com