Iraqi Parliament Deputy Speaker Farhad Atrushi Condemns Parliamentary Vote on Army Chief Appointment
In a statement, Atrushi said that despite the country’s sensitive political and security environment, the Speaker of Parliament “took a step that further complicates matters by suspiciously rushing to vote on specific positions.”
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Iraqi Parliament Deputy Speaker Farhad Atrushi on Monday strongly criticized the conduct of a parliamentary session that confirmed Abdul-Amir Yarallah as Chief of the General Staff of the Iraqi Armed Forces, calling the process a “serious violation” of constitutional and procedural rules and warning that he would pursue legal action.
In a statement, Atrushi said that despite the country’s sensitive political and security environment, the Speaker of Parliament “took a step that further complicates matters by suspiciously rushing to vote on specific positions.” He added that the Iraqi parliament's Presidency had previously agreed that the Tuesday session would be limited to amendments to internal procedures and committee restructuring, but additional items were introduced without consensus.
Atrushi described the move as a “flagrant violation” of Article 9 of the constitution and Article 37 of parliament’s rules of procedure, arguing that it undermines the principles of national partnership, political balance, and consensus. “This vote will not leave any legal or administrative legacy, and we will pursue all legal and constitutional avenues, including recourse to the courts,” he said.
Yarallah, who had been serving as acting Chief of the General Staff, was formally elected to the post during the session.
Separately, Shakhawan Abdullah, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party faction in parliament, told a press conference that removing the position from Kurdish representation marked “a very bad start.” He said Kurdish parliamentary blocs would issue a joint statement and maintained that the Speaker’s actions constituted a constitutional violation.
The KDP faction in the Iraqi parliament issued a statement expressing strong protest against the proceedings of today's session. They emphasized that the method of adding items to the agenda clearly violates Article 37, Section 2 of the rules of procedure.
The faction characterized this action as a "flagrant violation of the constitution" and a blow to "political consensus among the communities."
Updated at 11:05 pm...