Suspended laws await Al-Mashhadani’s “hammer”… Parliament Speakerfaces “complex” files and short time
The head of the Iraqi Center for Strategic Studies, Ghazi Faisal, believed that the suspended laws and draft laws that are still in the drawers of the House of Representatives will constitute a burden on the remainder of the current session under the leadership of the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani.
Faisal said in an interview with Al-Mada, “Some laws will be postponed to the next session due to the selective approach followed by parties or blocs in the House of Representatives in legislating laws.”
He stressed that “there are about 50 laws referred to in the constitutional articles, and they are extremely important laws related to the implementation of the constitution. When they are not enacted, the constitutional articles related to them remain frozen and inactive.”
Dozens of laws are still pending in the halls of the House of Representatives, awaiting approval for months, and some of them have been frozen for years due to disagreements between political blocs over them or proposals to amend them.
For his part, political analyst Omar Al-Nasser said in an interview with Al-Mada, “Mashhadani will face multiple challenges, most notably unifying the Sunni ranks and unifying his discourse, in addition to dealing with the file of ministerial amendments that Al- Sudani intends to propose, which is a complex path that requires consensus between the forces and parties.”
Al-Nasser explained to Al-Mada that “Al-Mashhadani will face a number of challenges, most notably the suspended laws, the relationship between Baghdad and Erbil, and regional tensions. If he is able to deal with these files in a positive way , he may contribute to restoring confidence between the citizen and the political class.” link
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Tishwash: Parliamentary Finance to NINA: Approval of 2025 general budget schedules after legislative recess
The Parliamentary Finance Committee revealed the date for approving the schedules of the Federal General Budget Law for the new year 2025.
Committee member, MP Moeen Al-Kazemi, stated in a statement to the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA /, that “the Council of Representatives will enter the legislative recess on the ninth of this month, and there is a trend to extend the work of the sessions for only one month, after which the schedules of the General Budget Law 2025 will be approved.”
He added, “After settling the issue of electing the Speaker of Parliament, the conditions are now ready and favorable for approving the four laws: the draft amendment to the General Amnesty Law, the proposed Personal Status Law, the draft law on military service and retirement for the Mujahideen of the Popular Mobilization Forces, and the draft law to return the properties covered by the decisions of the dissolved Revolutionary Command Council to their owners.”
He continued, “There is an expected ministerial change, and this places the parliamentary committees before an important and great responsibility to activate their role in following up on the work of the government. It also requires more understanding and harmony in the State Administration Coalition to approve the change of some ministers. link
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Tishwash: Parliamentary Investment and Development Committee calls for commitment to the “Investment Law”
The Parliamentary Investment and Development Committee called on the National Investment Commission and investment authorities in the governorates to oblige investors and developers to abide by the Investment Law, stressing the endeavor to amend its provisions to appear in the form of an integrated draft law that guarantees the investor’s right and at the same time guarantees the state’s right.
The committee stressed the importance of attracting real estate developers to contribute to the development of residential lands, in implementation of an item in the budget stipulating the necessity of distributing government lands after preparing them for housing. Committee member, Diaa Al-Hindi, explained in an interview with “Al-Sabah”, followed by “Al-Eqtisad News”, that “this item gives developers the opportunity to develop areas by paving roads and providing basic services, which makes them ready to receive residents, provided that the collection of revenues is allocated to them after the development process.”
He pointed out that “current housing projects focus on building complexes that aim to achieve quick profits without paying full attention to the quality of infrastructure or services,” noting that “most countries in the world are currently moving towards resorting to real estate developers to ensure an appropriate housing level that meets the needs of citizens and achieves sustainable development.”
Regarding the laws that the Parliamentary Investment Committee is working on, Al-Hindi revealed that the committee has completed the “Industrial Investment” law, which is now ready for a vote in Parliament, and has also completed discussing the “Investment Law Amendment” to present it as an integrated project that supports investment efforts in the country and encourages attracting local and international investors.
In turn, committee member Susan Mansour said, “The investment law exists and is legislated, and although it is relatively solid, some of its provisions are elastic and need to be amended, as it is one of the most important laws, especially at this stage when Iraq needs to open up to the economic world,” indicating that “the investment law is the tool that properly regulates the investment process in the country
She added, “Most investors do not adhere to the current investment law, calling on the National Investment Commission to adhere to the standards of the law and implement its provisions on investors in a real manner, so that investment in Iraq can rise and become an attractive international environment for investment.”link
