BAGHDAD (Al Jazeera) – Iraq’s parliament swore in dozens of new legislators on Thursday, replacing 73 who were loyal to powerful Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr.
Iraq was plunged deeper into political crises on June 12 when 73 legislators from al-Sadr’s bloc, then the biggest in parliament, quit en masse in a bid to break a logjam over the establishment of a new government.
The legislature had already been in turmoil since October’s general election, amid intense negotiations between political factions that failed to forge a majority in support of a new prime minister to succeed Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
Following the mass resignation, the seats defaulted to candidates with the second highest number of votes during October’s polls.
Although he emerged as a winner, al-Sadr has been locked in a power struggle with rivals, and was unable to cobble together a coalition that could form a majority government.
According to Iraqi laws, if any seat in parliament becomes vacant, the candidate who obtains the second highest number of votes in their electoral district would replace them.
In this case, it made al-Sadr’s opponents from the Coordination Framework, a coalition led by Shia parties and their allies, the majority with about 122 seats.
It puts al-Sadr out of parliament for the first time since 2005.
Shia lawmaker Ahmed Rubaie said the new coalition was now the main force in the 329-seat parliament.
“Following the Sadr lawmakers’ resignation, we can confirm that we are the largest bloc in parliament with around 130 seats after the swearing in of the new lawmakers,” Rubaie told reporters.