Iraqi replacement deputies take oath in Parliament
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Sixty-four Iraqi lawmakers were sworn in on Thursday, following Moqtada Sadr's bloc en masse resignation.
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Iraq's Parliament (Archive)
Iraq's Parliament swore in new lawmakers to replace 73 MPs from Moqtada Sadr's bloc who resigned en masse from their positions earlier this month amid a protracted political impasse over the formation of the country's next government.
The legislature had already been in disarray since the general election in October when political factions failed to form a majority in support of a new prime minister to succeed Mustafa Al-Kadhemi.
Following the mass resignation, the seats were given to the candidates who received the second highest number of votes in the October election.
Out of the 73 empty seats, about 40 went to the Iraqi Coordination Framework.
With the seats it had secured previously, the bloc, on Thursday, found itself with about 130 of the chamber's 329 seats, though official figures have yet to be released by Parliament.
On his account, Parliament Speaker Muhammad Al-Halbousi thanked the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada Al-Sadr, asserting that the way for the people to achieve real reform is paved.
Read more: Iraq Coordination Framework intensifies discussions to contain crisis
