By Emily Anagnostos
May 9 Update: Multiple political parties announced that they
would boycott any upcoming session of the Council of Representatives (CoR). The
Sunni Etihad bloc announced on May 9 that it would not attend any parliamentary
session until those responsible for the April 30 protests were held
accountable. A member of the Reform Front, the opposition bloc formed by rump
CoR members, also reaffirmed that it would not attend any CoR session as long
as Salim al-Juburi remained CoR Speaker. A member from the Islamic Dawa Party
in Iraq, within the State of Law Alliance (SLA), revealed his participation in
the Reform Front, further reducing the size of the SLA in the CoR. This graphic
is updated from its May
6 version to reflect these additional boycotting parties and the new Reform
Front member.
Speaker Juburi had set May 10 as the next CoR session when
it last adjourned on April 30. Currently, there are at least 209 members
boycotting the session, making it impossible for the CoR to meet the 165 member
requirement to reach quorum. The certainty of failure to convene likely
encouraged Juburi to instead call for only CoR committees to meet on May 10, as
opposed to a full CoR session. A date for a full CoR session has yet to be
determined, which Juburi attributed to ongoing repairs to the parliamentary
building. Several political figures and parties have called for a quick
resumption of CoR sessions. However, political parties have each issued
conditions for their return to Baghdad, making a continued political stalemate
likely to drag on.
