Iraqi court nullifies PM's decision to cancel 3 vice president posts

The Iraqi federal court on Monday ruled against a decision made by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to cancel the three posts of Vice President after more than a year of their dismissal.

"The Federal Supreme Court ruled that a decision issued by the Prime Minister last year to abolish the three vice presidential posts for Nuri al-Maliki, Osama al-Nujaifi and Ayad Allawi is unconstitutional," Xinhua news agency quoted an official of the Supreme Judicial Council as saying.

The official said cancelling the vice presidential posts is tantamount to abolishing articles from the constitution, and such procedure will need amending the constitution by approval of the majority of the parliament members and referendum of the Iraqi people.

In August 2015, Abadi called for sweeping reforms, including cancelling the three posts each of vice president and deputy prime minister, as part of his response to mass demonstrations against poor public services, power shortage, and prevalent corruption.

Abadi's reform plan, which was approved by parliament, also included a reduction of the number of ministries and agencies to increase government efficiency and cut spending.

--IANS

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