Top Iraq Court Ends Parliament Speaker Halbousi's Tenure

The Federal Supreme Court said in a statement it decided to terminate Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi’s membership in Parliament along with that of lawmaker Laith al-Dulaimi. It did not elaborate on why it was issuing the decision, local media reported. 

Halbousi has been the highest Sunni official in Iraq. Under the country’s sectarian power-sharing system, the parliament speaker is always Sunni, the prime minister Shiite and the president Kurdish.

The court decision came against the backdrop of a dispute between Halbousi and Dulaimi, also Sunni.