Analysis and full translation of the new Popular Mobilization Commission draft law

After weeks of political paralysis, parliament held a first reading of a new draft law yesterday concerning the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), marking the end of a prolonged legislative stalemate that had gripped the chamber.

The proposed “Service and Retirement Law” for the PMF had become a polarizing issue in recent weeks, prompting sharp divisions and delaying parliamentary sessions. On March 11, the Sudani government formally withdrew the bill. A government memo explained the withdrawal by citing the need to reassess the bill’s financial implications and to align it with ongoing efforts to restructure the PMF.

In its place, the government introduced a new and substantively different draft intended to replace the 2016 legislation that first provided a legal foundation for the PMF during the campaign against Daesh.