Iraqi parliament grants Interior Ministry new powers

By Muayad al-Tarfi

BAGHDAD (AA) – Iraq’s parliament has passed legislation giving the Interior Ministry broad new powers, while the assembly’s ethics committee declared its intention to question members of the country’s electoral commission over corruption allegations.

Both steps were taken at a Thursday session chaired by embattled Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jubouri.

The session was attended by 200 of the assembly’s 328 members, meeting the quorum necessary to vote on proposed legislation.

At a press conference held following the session, electoral commission member Ardalan Noureddine said commission members would answer questions posed by MPs regarding recent allegations that the commission was corrupt and lacked independence.

"The ethics committee will question [members of] the electoral commission regarding these issues," Noureddine said.

At the same parliamentary session on Thursday, representatives postponed to next Saturday a vote on a bill that would ban the now-defunct Baath Party of former President Saddam Hussein.