The federal court in Iraq on Wednesday rejected a lawsuit to dissolve the Council of Representatives (parliament) filed by the movement of Shia Imam Moqtada al-Sadr. A test of the judiciary's decision is cited by the Shafaq News portal.
"The jurisdiction of the federal court is limited to article 93 of the constitution and article 4 of the federal court law and does not include the dissolution of parliament," the court ruled.
"The members of the Council of Representatives, once elected, do not represent themselves or their political blocs, but the people, so they need to continue to work <...> in the interest of the people," the ruling said. At the same time, the federal court stressed that "no authority is allowed to exceed the time limits set by the constitution" because it violates the basic law and undermines the political process and "poses a threat to the security of the country and its citizens."
"The sanctions imposed on the Council of Representatives for failure to fulfill constitutional duties constitute a dissolution of Parliament when there is reason to do so," the court said in its decision.
The lawsuit was originally scheduled to be heard on August 30, but the judiciary has repeatedly postponed it. Earlier on Wednesday, Sky News Arabia reported, citing sources, that today's court ruling would be final.
Al-Sadr's supporters, who had the largest bloc in parliament, resigned in June. They brought charges against the incumbent authorities for violating the constitution by exceeding the deadline for forming a government after last October 10 elections and tried to obtain a ruling to dissolve parliament and set a date for a new vote. Other independent political forces filed similar lawsuits. On August 14, the supreme judicial council said that it had no authority to dissolve the legislature.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: MohammadHuzam/Creative Commons 4.0
Based on materials from TASS