The government of the Ottoman state agreed to hold elections in the provinces and cities of Iraq in order to win the confidence and support of the public, and to confirm its determination to run the state on the basis of the constitution.
The first elections has took place in the Karbala district in October 1908 AD, one of those whose elected for the first session of the council of the Karbala district, was "Haji Abdul Mahdi Al-Hafidh".
The first activity made by Al-Hafidh in the council was the vote of no-confidence for the government of the Ottoman Prime Minister "Kamel Pasha" for many reasons, the most important of which were the unrest occurred in Albania in 1909 AD, and the dispute between the Ottoman Prime Minister and the Minister of War "Ridha Pasha" about sending a military division to Albania.
He also discussed the budget law of the Ottoman state in several sessions, the most important of which was the session held in April 17, 1909 AD, which concerns the issue of salaries and the organization of the timings of payment and its inclusion within the general budget of the Ottoman Empire.
In the session of May 24, 1909 AD, Al-Hafidh has participated with the Arab MPs in discussing the salaries of the governors in the states of Baghdad, Al-Hijaz, Yemen and Aden, and he was one of the members in favor of its approval in the council.
He also participated in the meeting of May 25, 1909 AD to discuss the financial situation in the state of Yemen, especially the allotment of monthly salaries to the assistant director of the "Aseer" district in the state.
In May 1910, al-Hafiz has called for the exemption of the servants and clergymen of the holy shrines of Karbala, Najaf, Kadhimiya and Samarra from military service in recognition of their services in the holy shrines. In December 1910 AD, he criticized the statements made by the governor of Aleppo, "Hussein Kadhim Pasha", in which he falsly accused the public of the state with shooting live fire in the streets, and led to a disturbance of security, in addition to his role in the cancellation of burial fees in the year of 1911 AD.
It should be noted that Abdul-Mahdi Al-Hafidh was the head of the "4th Division" within the "Ardhhal" committee, which was one of the permanent committees in the council. This committee has included three MPs of the districts of Mosul, Ardharum and Mara'sh.
Source:
The Karbala's Comprehensive Civilizational Encyclopedia – The Department of Modern and Contemporary History "The Ottoman Documents": by The Karbala Center for Studies and Research Vol. 7.
