Iraq's two Sunni Arab political blocs boycotted parliament on Sunday and said they would not return until ousted speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, a member of the largest Sunni bloc, was reinstated. The Sunni Accordance Front holds 44 seats in the 275-member parliament while the Iraqi National Dialogue Front has 11.
"The (Accordance) Front has decided it will not attend the sessions of parliament until the case of Mashhadani is solved in an appropriate way that ensures his return to run the sessions," the bloc said in a statement. The National Dialogue Front said its position was the same.
The boycott will add to tensions in parliament at a time when legislators are under growing pressure from the United States to pass major laws aimed at drawing minority Sunni Arabs more firmly into the political process. The Accordance Front stressed in the statement that it was not formally suspending its participation in parliament.
It had initially backed a vote on June 11 to replace the outspoken Mashhadani, who was often involved in televised shouting matches with lawmakers. Officials said at the time he was removed because of his "rude behaviour".