The following is the editorial of “Tareeq Al-Shaab” (People’s Path), the newspaper of the Iraqi Communist Party, on 24th April 2022:

The Iraqi Democratic Movement, represented by the Iraqi Communist Party and the Iraqi Nation Party, filed (on 19 April 2022) a lawsuit against the Speaker of the Parliament due to the Parliament’s violation of the Constitution, and its delay in electing the President of the Republic and forming the Iraqi government, in accordance with the constitutional dues and their specified periods.

The filing of this lawsuit came in response to the continuation of the political impasse for months (since the elections on 10th October 2021), and the violation during this period of the Constitutional timetable (for electing a new President) and the relevant articles of the Constitution.

It is clear that these repeated violations threaten the "democratic structure" of the state, since the Constitution is the guarantor and regulator of political life in the country. During the past few years, the ruling political groups have continued to circumvent the articles of the Constitution, seeking to subjugate it to political deals, conflicts and quarrels, attempting even in critical issues to replace the Constitution and its text with the so-called “customs” invented by dominant forces and blocs.

The failure to elect the President of the Republic led to a violation of Article 72, Section 2(b) of the Constitution, which obligates the Parliament to elect a new President within thirty days from the date of its first session.

The complaint submitted to the Federal Court indicated that the violations constituted a breach of Article 50 of the Constitution which obligated a member of the Parliament, when taking the constitutional oath and before they began their work, to implement the legislations honestly and impartially. However, what occurred is that embers of the Parliament, by boycotting the sessions to elect the President of the Republic, have violated the oath stipulated in Article 50, and thus obstructed the implementation of Article 73, Section 2. Boycotting the session, in the circumstances in which it took place, constituted a disruption of the constitutional life and the work of the Parliament. This was not only obstructing the election of the President but also the formation of the new government. This also prevents the approval of the budget for 2022, and the resulting repercussions on the lives of citizens, on the work of state institutions and the Iraqi economy as a whole.

What has happened and is continuing to happen can prolong the existence of the caretaker government, which is not desirable and is not in line with the constitutional rules and norms. The time limit for such a government as set by the Constitution must not exceed 30 days. Prolonging its existence constitutes a disruption of the peaceful transfer of power as stipulated in Article 6 of the Constitution.

On the other hand, the filing of this lawsuit has come to deal with a loophole in the constitutional and legal system, as the body concerned with monitoring constitutional violations is absent. This highlights the duty of parties, organizations, unions, civil society organisations, personalities, public opinion circles, and all interested parties, to play their role in drawing attention and objecting to the violations that occur by addressing the Federal Court. A previous example of this was when the open session of the Parliament was cancelled in accordance with a decision of the same court in October 2010.

It is an important and necessary constitutional and democratic process, and the need for it is confirmed today as a means of pressure, in conjunction with other forms of popular and public pressure, which are required to stop the state of deterioration, inaugurate a new chapter, and ensure moving ahead along the path of serious reform and comprehensive change.

It is clear that in order for such a lawsuit to achieve its goals, it must have broad support and extensive backing.

1st May is an occasion for renewing the internationalist solidarity of the workers of the world, and continuing along the path of ending exploitation, discrimination, repression and oppression.

This year, International Workers’ Day comes at a time when the world is witnessing more conflicts and wars, and a grave threat to world peace. This is happening at a time when the world has not fully recovered or moved past the heavy legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has profoundly impacted workers, low-wage earners and people's lives.

In Iraq too, 1st May is an occasion to recall the struggles and sacrifices of the working class for a free and prosperous life, and another step along the path leading to the establishment of a state based on social justice, equality, prosperity, institutions and law.

On this occasion, we salute all Iraqi workers and praise their decades-long struggles and sacrifices in order to assert their rights, starting with the strikes in ports, railways, oil and textiles, and ending with their contribution to the glorious October 2019 Uprising.

Throughout its history, the Iraqi Communist Party has been and continues to be the faithful defender of the interests and aspirations of the working class, highlighting its glorious role in the history of our country and in the people’s patriotic movement; their steadfastness, uprisings and revolutions. Workers made huge sacrifices in those struggles for the cause of freedom, independence and happiness of their people.

Today, 19 years after the collapse of the dictatorial regime and the occupation of Iraq, workers and toilers still bear the heavy burden caused by the policies of successive governments, mismanagement, corruption and the repercussions of the crises resulting from the sectarian power-sharing system and political sectarianism. These policies have deepened the manifestations of the all-encompassing structural crisis and failed to save Iraq from the present dire situation, improve the well-being of people and to preserve its independence and sovereignty.

What the Iraqi working class is going through today in terms of the onslaught on its rights and gains, and undermining its organizations and unions, clearly exposes the neo-liberal policies adopted by those in power, in order to satisfy international financial institutions and boost the wealth of those in power. It is in stark contrast to the state of the majority of Iraqis, most of whom are poor and marginalized, suffering hardship and the absence of basic services, insecurity, increasing unemployment, poverty and crime and the proliferation of drugs.

The conditions of the working class in general require the mobilisation of all efforts to serve the interests of workers, and to act in a concerted and unified manner for the following urgent tasks:

• Legislation of a new law on pensions and social security for workers, which includes the unemployed and those made redundant in accordance with international labour standards and secures a decent life for pensioners and the elderly.
• Legislation of the Law on Trade Union Freedoms, which guarantees the right of workers to organise themselves in unions and federations away from the interference and dominance of government authorities. It also guarantees their right to strike, demonstrate and organise sit-ins, and to stand up to any violations of their rights from any party.

The first required steps in this regard are the abolition of Decree No. 150 (1987) and Law No. 52 (1987) on trade union organisation.

• Striving to achieve the unity in action of the trade union movement of the Iraqi working class, and to consolidate democratic foundations in its structure, in order to express the professional, economic and social interests of workers, and defend their democratic and union rights and freedoms.
• Provide all requirements for the implementation of the Iraqi Labour Law No. 37 (2015) in all parts of the country.
• Raising the minimum wage for all workers and protecting their purchasing power in proportion to the ever-growing cost of living.
• Ensuring the rights of working women in the various sectors of production and striving to make them equal with men in employment opportunities and wages, to end the discrimination against them, and to end various forms of violence and harassment against them.
• Supporting the establishment and development of large, medium and small production and service projects, which invest more manpower and do not need a lot of capital or hard currency. Operating the stalled government-owned factories through serious support for the national industry and the protection of local products.
• Ending the scourge of child labour by providing appropriate conditions for children to return to school to complete their education.

Focusing on these priorities, and working and pressing to achieve them through the various and multifaceted struggles of the working class and its true representatives and other national and democratic forces, will contribute significantly to changing the workers’ conditions, improving their current difficult living and working conditions. It will increase their contribution to building the country, its independence and the prosperity of its people, moving together towards achieving the goals of our people and the toilers for a free and dignified life, and consolidating the values ​​of social justice and true democracy.

Long live the First of May

Glory to the International Day of the Working Class

Long live the Iraqi working class. We salute the workers who sacrificed their lives and the martyrs of our people

Central Committee

Iraqi Communist Party

27 April 2022

16 April 2022

Occupied Jerusalem witnessed at dawn on Friday, 15 April 2022, a dangerous escalation in the continuing aggression of the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people, by storming Al-Aqsa Mosque and brutally attacking worshipers, injuring dozens and the arresting hundreds.

This barbaric attack came as a culmination of campaigns of raids, killings, arrests and collective punishments carried out by the Israeli forces and gangs of Zionist settlers during the past weeks in all the Palestinian territories, including the governorates and cities of Jerusalem, Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, Hebron and others, which claimed the lives of more than 25 martyrs. It represents another desperate attempt to perpetuate the occupation and break the spirit of the courageous resistance of the Palestinian people, that was reflected in the escalation of popular resistance and their determination to end the Israeli occupation.

The Israeli escalation has not come in isolation from the acceleration of the pace of normalization and the humiliating agreements concluded by Arab regimes with Israel under American auspices. The consequences of this normalization were demonstrated by the meeting in the Naqab, on 28 March 2022 with the participation of the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt.

Once again, the American and Western positions in general regarding the continuing crimes of the Israeli occupation reveal the double standards of Washington and its allies in NATO. They have prevented any serious move by the United Nations and its human rights bodies to stop the brutal aggression against the Palestinian people, to condemn flagrant violations of the rules of international law and to hold the Zionist occupiers accountable for their crimes.

The Iraqi Communist Party, while strongly condemning the crimes of Israel and the fascist settler gangs, calls on the Iraqi government to take urgent steps on Arab and international levels and at the United Nations, to denounce the brutal aggression of the occupier, Israel, to provide effective support to the Palestinian people and their patriotic forces, and to support the campaign of imposing sanctions and boycotts on the racist state of occupation.

The Iraqi Communist Party salutes the heroic resistance of the Palestinian people and their determination to end the occupation and eradicating it from their lands. It reaffirms its consistent solidarity with the Palestinian struggle to assert their legitimate rights of return and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Political Bureau

Iraqi Communist Party

16 April 2022