Iraq's Parliament is scheduled to vote for a new Speaker on Saturday after a six-month impasse among Sunni political factions over the choice of candidate for the post.
Under the country's post-Saddam Hussein power-sharing system, meant to avoid more sectarian conflict, the post of Speaker is held by a Sunni Arab, the President is Kurdish and the Prime Minister a Shiite Arab. However, disputes between ethnic blocs often delay appointments to these posts.
The Parliament re-elected Mohammed Al Halbousi for a second term as Speaker in January 2022, months after a general election, but he was dismissed by the Federal Supreme Court in November last year after facing charges of forgery.
Mr Al Halbousi, a former governor of Anbar province, founded the Progress Party, or Taqadum in Arabic, which won the majority of Sunni votes in the elections in October 2021 to take 37 of the 329 seats.
However, a rift among Iraq's Sunni blocs has delayed the election of his replacement. No candidate was able to obtain a majority during a vote in January.
Taqadum nominated Shaalan Al Karim for the post but the Sunni Sovereignty bloc’s candidate, Salem Al Issawi, received the highest number of votes in the first round of polling. A second round was scrapped as disputes led to walkouts that lowered the quorum below the two-thirds threshold needed to hold the vote.
Taqadum has voiced its support for veteran politician Mahmoud Al Mashhadani after the Co-ordination Framework, the largest bloc in Parliament, called on the Sunni blocs to fill the position within a week.
Mr Al Mashhadani previously held the post from 2006 to 2008, when he was forced to resign after being accused of "rude behaviour" towards other officials.
"In the grand scheme of things, whether the vote passes or doesn't, it represents some of the political challenges that Iraq continues to face," Renad Mansour, a senior Iraqi research fellow at London's Chatham House, told The National.
"There has been an attempt in general to split the Sunnis. Under Mr Al Halbousi there was an attempt to consolidate Sunni power, however, rival groups led by former prime minister Nouri Al Maliki have sought to take that away from him," Mr Mansour said.
Mr Al Mashhadani, who is known to have close ties with Mr Al Maliki, a powerful Shiite politician, is "loyal to some parts of the Sunnis but not others", Mr Mansour added.
"So the kind of divide-and-conquer factor is very much at play here."
Sajad Jiyad, a political analyst in Baghdad, said the vote would most probably go in favour of Mr Al Mashhadani but the most important issue was for Parliament to meet the two-thirds quorum.
"I think it's very likely we'll just have a Speaker elected in the first round and probably won't even go to the second round," Mr Jiyad told The National. "I think Mr Al Mashhadani has the strongest position at this moment.
"Behind the scenes there's always bargaining and, you know, some threats. I'm sure some people are not completely happy with the choice."
This would put pressure on some politicians not to show up, he added, raising doubts there will be the quorum required for a vote.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Meydan racecard:
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 (PA) Group 1 | US$75,000 (Dirt) | 2,200 metres
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas (TB) Listed | $250,000 (D) | 1,600m
7.40pm: Meydan Classic Trial (TB) Conditions | $100,000 (Turf) | 1,400m
8.15pm: Al Shindagha Sprint (TB) Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,200m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (D) | 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,000m
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
