A political movement is suing the Sudanese for not holding early parliamentary elections

Former MP Rahim al-Daradji, who is now the Secretary-General of the “Enough” movement, has filed a complaint against Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’ al-Sudani for failing to hold early parliamentary elections. This announcement was made on Tuesday.

During an interview with Shafaq News agency, Al-Darraji revealed that a complaint has been lodged against Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’a al-Sudani. The complaint is regarding his failure to adhere to the timings outlined in the ministerial curriculum paper, not implementing the agreement between political blocs, which is a vital component of the government curriculum, and his unusual avoidance of holding early elections.

He stated that the government failed to follow the curriculum outlined in the ministerial paper. Specifically, he pointed out that the guidelines in paragraph 11 of the Second / Legislative Axis related to provincial elections should also apply to paragraph 3 of the same axis, which mandates early elections within a year of forming the government. Both of these paragraphs are part of the ministerial curriculum.

The head of the “Enough” movement’s secretary-general stated that they filed a complaint with the Federal Court due to the failure to comply with existing laws, political agreements, the Iraqi parliament’s vote, and the constitutional oath.

On April 23, 2023, Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’ al-Sudani announced that the decision to hold early or periodic elections is up to the Iraqi parliament. He clarified that his government is prepared for either option, but emphasized that parliament must first dissolve itself. Al-Sudani noted that dissolving parliament is the responsibility of parliament and not the government.

During his presentation of his government’s ministerial curriculum, Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani promised to hold parliamentary elections within a year. He also pledged to amend the parliamentary election law within three months and to set a date for holding provincial elections. The proposed ministerial curriculum also emphasized the government’s commitment to building effective tools to fight corruption within 90 days of its formation.

After Al-Sudani promised to hold early elections, political groups in the Iraqi parliament publicly opposed the idea. The head of the State of Law coalition, Nuri al-Maliki, and some other forces within the coordination framework that support Al-Sudani’s continuation, were among the most prominent objectors.