
Clash in Iraqi Parliament disrupts session: Agenda dispute
A parliamentary session in Baghdad was cut short on Tuesday after a heated exchange broke out between Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, his deputies Mohsen al-Mandalawi and Shakhwan Abdullah, and several lawmakers.
A parliamentary source told Shafaq News that the argument was triggered by disagreements over newly added items to the session's agenda. Tensions escalated when al-Mashhadani objected to including a vote on the leadership and members of the Federal Service Council, leading to a confrontation with al-Mandalawi. The situation quickly deteriorated into a broader dispute involving members of major Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) and Sunni blocs, including lawmakers Alaa al-Haidari and Raad al-Dahlaki.
The session, chaired by al-Mandalawi, was attended by 169 deputies and included key agenda items such as proposed amendments to the Iraq–Saudi Arabia Agreement on the Promotion and Protection of Investment.
Earlier, a separate parliamentary source told Shafaq News that attendance had fallen below 140 lawmakers due to political objections to parts of the agenda—particularly the investment agreement—hindering progress on other scheduled votes.
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