Disagreements over parliamentary committees stall Iraq’s CF meeting
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Political blocs within Iraq’s Coordination Framework (CF) are continuing negotiations over parliamentary committee leadership posts, with several appointments still unresolved, an Iraqi lawmaker told Shafaq News on Wednesday.
Arif Abdul Jalil Al-Hamami, a lawmaker from the State of Law Coalition (SLC), which is part of the CF, a coalition of Shiite political forces, said the Culture and Tourism and Antiquities Committees were among those yet to be formed. The two portfolios were previously overseen by a single committee, but the separation of the Ministry of Culture from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has made two separate committees necessary. Their membership is expected to be finalized in the coming days.
A source within the alliance also told Shafaq News that the committee coordinating appointments with the relevant parliamentary authorities had yet to complete its work, particularly the selection of deputy chairpersons. A CF meeting scheduled for Monday was postponed to give political forces more time to reach an agreement, he added.
Last week, Iraq’s Reconstruction and Development parliamentary bloc outlined a mechanism for distributing parliamentary committees among political blocs, with allocations based on established criteria.
Firas Al-Mislmawi, the bloc’s spokesman, explained the plan to Shafaq News, saying committees would first be allocated among political groups according to their respective shares before being divided into three categories: A, B and C.
Category A covers the Security and Defense, Finance, Investment, and Energy and Natural Resources committees. Category B includes Education, Higher Education, Planning, Agriculture and other service-related committees, while Category C covers Culture, Youth and Sports, among others.
On Feb. 17, 2026, Parliament voted to amend its internal rules and establish 22 standing committees, including one covering culture, media, tourism and antiquities. In March, lawmakers approved the membership of 11 committees, but negotiations over leadership positions have continued.
