Taqaddum’s prospects of securing speakership fade

A resolution on the election of a parliament speaker appears to be closer following a major splintering of Mohammed Al-Halbusi’s Taqaddum Party.

A group of eight Taqaddum MPs, led by Ziyad Al-Janabi, announced their defection from the party last week and the formation of a new parliamentary bloc called Mubadara (Initiative). The group also includes three members of provincial councils.

Janabi, chairman of the influential parliamentary Integrity Committee, was considered an early candidate for the speakership when Halbusi was removed from his post by a Federal Supreme Court ruling last year.

Mubadara’s announcement was made during a press conference held by Janabi last week. In the statement, the defecting MPs and members attributed their move to "the political stalemate that has paralyzed political life, and the legislative authority's inability to elect a new parliament speaker for many months, prompting us to establish the 'Initiative' bloc to break the deadlock in the political scene."

Janabi, who represents Baghdad province, is joined by defecting parliamentary colleagues who are also mostly from Baghdad: