ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Tensions erupted in the Iraqi parliament on Tuesday after a heated dispute broke out between Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi and Deputy Speaker Farhad Atrushi over a controversial vote on a senior military position, prompting strong objections from some Kurdish lawmakers who warned of bylaw violations and threatened legal action.
The confrontation occurred during a parliamentary session when Halbousi moved to add a clause to the agenda to vote on Abdul-Amir Rashid Yarallah as Iraq’s Chief of Staff.
The parliamentary move sparked immediate protests from Atrushi, a Kurd, and his Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), arguing the item had not been included in the original agenda and was introduced without prior political consensus.
Atrushi sharply criticized the decision, describing the vote as a “suspicious step” and a breach of constitutional and parliamentary procedures.
“The parliament speaker has taken a step that further complicates the political situation by rushing in a suspicious manner to hold a vote on certain special positions,” Atrushi said in a statement late Tuesday.
He added that the parliament leadership had held several meetings prior to the session, during which agreements were reached only on amendments to internal bylaws and committee assignments. However, additional clauses were later added without consensus, he said.
Atrushi warned that passing sensitive sovereign positions such as the army chief of staff in this manner raises serious concerns among political partners and undermines trust in the political process.