Oversight Mechanisms in the Iraqi Parliament after 2005

Abstract

The oversight of the legislative authority consists of the numerous means and oversight procedures that members of parliament possess over governments. The importance of these means is embodied in holding institutions accountable for all their actions, in the event of a violation in their work, monitoring all their actions, discussing the general policy that they have set for themselves, and knowing the workings of the government apparatus and its performance of its various tasks. It has the right to know that the means of oversight represent the rights established for members of the legislative authority according to their legal source and purpose. Some of them are means of oversight that existed under constitutional texts, some of them were stipulated in their regulations, and some of them were created by practical applications through customs and the context of work in parliamentary systems. Power is distributed among three bodies: the legislative body, the executive body, and the judicial body. They are not completely separated, but rather there is cooperation and participation among them in exercising most of the powers, which creates mutual influence or overlap. When we look at the supervisory function of the parliament, we will find that it is a power because the parliament plays a pivotal role in achieving the interests of the people, and most modern constitutions have clear and direct texts that emphasize the government’s responsibility to the parliament. Parliamentary oversight means monitoring, investigating, and examining the actions of the executive branch, assessing the performance of various government functions, and determining the extent to which these functions align with legislative and executive objectives. Furthermore, parliamentary oversight is defined as "the authority of Parliament over the executive branch, individually or collectively, to uncover errors and shortcomings and identify those responsible through the oversight mechanisms it has established." Parliamentary oversight is also defined as "a set of procedures and powers used by Parliament to ensure that the institutions under its oversight respect the law in order to achieve the public good." Accordingly, this study is divided into the following sections: Section One: Questioning and Interpellation by Members of Parliament. Section Two: Investigation and Vote of No Confidence by Members of Parliament.