Mr. Mohsen Mandalawi's speech at the dialogue session on elections and the Prime Minister's Office

The choice of a representative and democratic republican system based on the rule of law and the people's source of authority came as a result of the struggle and sacrifices of the Iraqi people, which culminated in the demise of the Baathist dictatorship, the referendum on the constitution in 2005, the establishment of the political process and the building of Iraqi state institutions. This is the fruit of the Iraqi people's awareness and commitment to their supreme authority, which made it necessary to write the constitution by Iraqi hands by choosing their representatives in a constituent assembly, followed by parliamentary and local elections to confirm the unity of the Iraqi people and their commitment to peaceful coexistence, national identity and noble social values and to prove peaceful transfer of power through

Honored guests

The elections produced a constitution that guarantees the unity of our country and our people and popular participation that was the basis for the legitimacy of governance through democratic mechanisms and the establishment of a just distribution of the country's wealth and resources to its people without discrimination ... It is appropriate to reiterate what we stated earlier that the view of our constitution as a rigid constitution needs to be reviewed; in fact, it is a flexible constitution that can be amended if the necessary conditions and political will based on respect for the higher interests of the country and respect for the rights of all through serious dialogue and if the Iraqi legislator and elite take a gradual approach in making the required amendments with each electoral occasion.

Hence, despite the success of the country's leaders and the Federal Supreme Court in finding solutions and explanations for the issues and blockages that accompanied the political process, such as the quorum needed to hold the presidential election session, the interpretation of the most numerous parliamentary bloc, and the assignment of the candidate to form the government, these issues remain in need of sustainable solutions that consolidate political stability and prevent the recurrence and exacerbation of these issues.

These solutions can only be achieved through constitutional amendments that are clear in meaning and can be applied without the need for interpretation and interpretation, from the clarity of the quorum required in the presidential election session, and then the obligation to assign him to the candidate of the qualified parliamentary bloc in number and methodology, and what are the alternatives and steps to be followed by the legislative authority in all of the above-mentioned.

We may turn to legislative solutions through the House of Representatives to enact a law that would be a key to solving the most important issues that accompanied the holding of the first sessions in each parliamentary session, as an alternative step until the appropriate atmosphere is created for the required constitutional amendments and referendum, and this is what we hope to crystallize as one of the results and ideas formulated in proposals for this symposium.

Conclusion

We thank you for your attendance, participation and suggestions, and affirm that the legislative authority, as the hub and foundation of the political process in our country, welcomes all efforts and activities seeking to strengthen the democratic practice, and we hope that everyone will contribute to enriching this forum with constructive suggestions and ideas to sustain elections and the peaceful transfer of power, by benefiting from similar experiences and commensurate with the conditions and interests of our dear country and the great Iraqi people, and special thanks to our friends at the European Foundation for Dialogue and Development and the brothers at the Iraqi Institute for Dialogue for their adoption of holding this seminar and presenting constructive ideas.

May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you