The speaker of the Council of Representatives of Iraq is back to criticizing the prime minister and accusing him of interfering in the work of independent bodies, while tension prevails in parliament between the State of Law and Iraqiya List blocks as their MPs continue to air dirty laundry.

Osama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni leader from the Iraqiya List, deviated from executive measures taken by Nouri al-Maliki last February by isolating the head of the de-Baathification commission. Nujaifi said in a press conference held on Feb. 5 and attended by Al-Monitor that "Maliki continues to interfere with the work of independent bodies."

In Iraq's political system, some institutions are intended to work independently of the Iraqi government. The Iraqi constitution, however, is not sufficiently clear about the ultimate leadership of these bodies, particularly for the Commission of Integrity, the Electoral Commission and the Justice and Accountability Commission.

Political forces are accusing Maliki, leader of the Shiite Islamic Dawa Party, of having gone to considerable lengths throughout his mandate to control those bodies, but Maliki has always denied this, saying that such accusations are attempts to blackmail him politically and to disrupt the work of those bodies.