PM Kadhimi, lawmaker Abdullah urge expanding cooperation between executive and legislative branches

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi met with Iraqi Parliament Second Deputy Speaker Shakhawan Abdullah on Tuesday and discussed means of furthering cooperation between the executive and legislative branches.

The two senior officials emphasized the need for further cooperation between the executive and legislative authorities to develop the government’s capability and performance.

They agreed on expanding their joint work in legislating laws that would improve services for the citizens in all government sectors.

رئيس مجلس الوزراء @MAKadhimi يستقبل النائب الثاني لرئيس مجلس النواب السيد شاخوان عبد الله، وجرى خلال اللقاء بحث عدد من القضايا الأساسية، والتأكيد على أهمية التعاون بين السلطتين التشريعية والتنفيذية، وبما يسهم في تطوير الأداء الحكومي الذي سينعكس بدوره على عمل مختلف القطاعات. pic.twitter.com/9YLa7ORCcP

— المكتب الإعلامي لرئيس الوزراء 🇮🇶 (@IraqiPMO) April 26, 2022

In Iraq’s recent political history, following Saddam’s toppling in 2003 and the formation of a federal system in Iraq, there has been a lack of cooperation between the executive and legislative branches, as represented by the president of parliament and the prime minister’s office respectively.

Per the power-sharing principle in Iraq, the position of prime minister was always allotted to Shiite political parties, and the presidency of the parliament was always allotted to the Sunni representatives.

The protests of 2019 resulted in prime minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi resigning and appointing Al-Kadhimi, to the position. Since then, and particularly since the “Saving the Homeland” coalition won the presidency of the parliament in the 2021 elections, the executive and legislative branches have cooperated more smoothly.

Shakhawan Abdullah, from the Kirkuk province, is a member of Masoud Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).