The Federal Supreme Court has stripped Mohammed Al-Halbusi of his membership in parliament, in response to a lawsuit filed by Laith Al-Dulaimi. The FSC determined that Halbusi had forged an official document. His dismissal from parliament is based on the charge of “dishonorable conduct”, and it is likely that the case will now be referred to a criminal court.
Halbusi is expected to issue a statement later today in response to the FSC’s ruling. Here is some background on the case:
Who is Laith Al-Dulaimi?
Laith Al-Dulaimi is a former Taqaddum Party MP who ran with Halbusi’s party in Baghdad in the October 2021 election and secured over 18,000 votes. Prior to his parliamentary career, Dulaimi had served five years in prison on terrorism charges before being acquitted.
Dulaimi had his membership in parliament stripped on January 15, 2023, after a falling out with Halbusi. Halbusi presented a resignation letter by Dulaimi to parliament, and asked the chamber to vote to accept the resignation, which it did.
Dulaimi filed a lawsuit against Halbusi, claiming that the date on his resignation letter had been forged by Halbusi.
Dulaimi alleges that prior to the October 2021 election, Halbusi had forced all his Taqaddum Party candidates to sign undated resignation letters, which Halbusi could use as leverage to enforce party discipline. The FSC determined that Halbusi had initially signed off on Dulaimi’s resignation letter on May 7, 2022. The date was then crossed out and replaced with the date January 15, 2023, when Halbusi proceeded with the parliamentary motion to accept Dulaimi’s resignation.
Who is behind Halbusi’s dismissal?
Halbusi’s dismissal is the culmination of an 18-month intra-Sunni struggle over the speakership of parliament. Halbusi’s Sunni rivals have sought to garner a majority in parliament in order to unseat him from the speakership.
The Coordination Framework took a position that it would not side with either faction, but that it would support the position of a majority of Sunnis in parliament. On that basis, Sunni politicians including Mishan Al-Juburi worked to garner enough Sunni support in parliament to oust Halbusi. But according to Juburi, that effort was eventually quashed by Turkey and the UAE, who were the primary sponsors of the alliance that secured Halbusi the speakership.
Dulaimi is a leading figurehead in the Hasm Movement, led by current Defence Minister Thabit Al-Abbasi. Hasm is a coalition of Halbusi’s most bitter rivals, including Jamal Al-Karbuli, who was imprisoned (and later released) on corruption charges instigated by Halbusi during the Kadhimi administration.
Dulaimi explained in a televised interview yesterday that Hasm’s political objective is to ensure that Sunnis in Baghdad are represented by a Baghdad-based leadership (rather than from Anbar).
What will happen next?
Deputy speaker of parliament Muhsin Al-Mandalawi is expected to preside over parliamentary sessions until a new speaker can be agreed on and voted in. Mandalawi will need to move ahead with an important item on the parliamentary agenda that extends the mandate of the electoral commission (IHEC). This will be crucial to ensuring that provincial council elections next month go ahead without distruptions.
All eyes are now on Halbusi and how he chooses to respond. Parliament was in session when news of the FSC decision first broke. Halbusi delivered brief remarks in the chamber (later released by his office), describing the FSC decision as “strange” and accusing unnamed actors of seeking to destabilize the country and sow divisions in society. He asserted that the decision did not respect the constitution and pledged to take measures that would preserve “constitutional rights”. Halbusi may try to challenge the FSC decision, but it is also possible that he pursues a far more escalatory approach to stifle a vote on his replacement.