Iraqi Political Blocs Reach Preliminary Agreement on 15 Parliamentary Committee Chairs
Iraqi parliamentary blocs have reached a preliminary understanding on appointing the heads of 15 out of 20 permanent parliamentary committees, while disagreements persist over the leadership of five committees, including Finance, Oil and Integrity.
A parliamentary source said the Speaker of Parliament had held several meetings with political blocs in an effort to resolve the distribution of committee leadership positions. The discussions included reducing the number of permanent committees to 20 by merging some committees and establishing a new one.
The source identified the committees still lacking agreement on their chairpersons as Finance, Oil, Integrity, Security and Defense, and Electricity.
On Wednesday, Firas Al-Maslmawi, a member of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, said Thursday’s parliamentary session was expected to include a vote on allocating committees among parliamentary blocs. The proposed arrangements cover the chairpersons of some committees, their deputies and rapporteurs. He anticipated broad approval of the proposed nominees, while negotiations over some deputy chair positions would continue.
Meanwhile, another parliamentary source explained that committees are divided into three categories—A, B and C—under a political agreement stipulating that a bloc cannot chair a parliamentary committee if one of its ministers oversees a ministry whose portfolio falls within that committee’s jurisdiction.
A source from the Coordination Framework also revealed that the group’s regular meeting, scheduled for last Monday, had been postponed because agreements on the leadership of several parliamentary committees had not been finalized.
On February 17, 2026, Parliament voted to amend its internal regulations and establish 22 permanent committees, including a unified committee for Culture, Media, Tourism and Antiquities. On March 11, lawmakers approved the membership of 11 committees, while the distribution of senior leadership positions remained dependent on political negotiations.
