ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq- Iraqi lawmakers and political analysts are raising alarms after the parliament failed once again to hold a scheduled session on Saturday due to the absence of 164 members.

In comments to The New Region, MP Ahmed al-Sharmani said the repeated disruptions are unacceptable and damaging to the entire political process.

“What’s happening in the parliament is no longer tolerable,” Sharmani said. “The repeated absence of MPs and the deliberate blocking of sessions is a clear betrayal of the trust people placed in us.”

He added that the empty halls and delayed laws reflect poorly on the institution, accusing some MPs of treating the legislature as a “social club” rather than a place to represent citizens’ interests.

Sharmani urged the the parliament’s leadership to take serious action, including disciplinary measures against members who are repeatedly absent.

“We must hold those accountable who are not doing their jobs. This country needs responsibility and discipline, not negligence,” he said. “Any MP who misses more than one session without excuse should be dismissed, according to the internal regulations.”

Following the failed session, the parliament’s First Deputy Speaker Muhsin al-Mandalawi ordered that a list of absent MPs be prepared so that they can be subjected to a one-million-dinar fine as punishment.

Political analyst Mohammed Ali al-Hakim also criticized the ongoing situation, calling it a “farce.”

Speaking to The New Region, Hakim said, “What’s happening is a complete failure. Absent MPs are helping destroy what’s left of people’s trust in the political system.”

He claimed the failure to hold sessions is no longer just neglect, but a strategy to block reforms and serve narrow political interests.

“This is not a parliament. It’s a waiting room for chaos,” he said. “The names of those who keep skipping sessions should be made public. While people suffer from poverty, their representatives act like they’re on vacation paid for by the poor.”

Hakim warned that continued inaction could lead to major unrest.

“If serious steps aren’t taken now, we could see public anger explode. History will not forget, and the people are beginning to wake up,” he said.

In response to the failed session, Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani held an emergency meeting with his deputies and bloc leaders to discuss ways to reactivate the legislative role and move forward with important laws.

A statement from the parliament’s media office announced that the legislature’s leadership has decided to proceed with implementing the internal regulations against MPS that skip sessions without a valid excuse, “up to the point of terminating their membership.”