Romanian journalist Marie-Jeanne Ion, a reporter for Prima TV, was kidnapped in Iraq on Monday with her colleague Dumitru Miscoci and Ovidiu Ohanesian from Romania Libera newspaper. (AFP)

Baghdad, March 29 (Reuters): It was hardly the greatest advertisement for democracy in West Asia.

Within minutes of the start of Iraq?s second session of parliament today the meeting was suddenly declared secret and journalists were kicked out after several assembly members leapt up to question their leaders? competence.

The session ? only the second time the assembly has met since it was elected two months ago ? was expected to make several key appointments, including the parliamentary speaker.

But it descended into chaos after the body?s eldest member, the stand-in speaker, announced that they couldn?t decide who the actual speaker should be and would instead discuss rules. With live television pictures rolling, half a dozen of the 275 assembly members jumped up to criticise the failure to reach a decision and called for an explanation.

A woman in full-length black robes, one of 85 women elected to parliament, stood up to say the eight million Iraqis who risked their lives to vote on January 30 deserved better.

?The people should know who is behind all this delay, they have the right to know and they should know,? she said, her voice quavering and finger occasionally jabbing. Others immediately followed her lead, voicing Iraqis? growing frustration at their elected officials.

?The Iraqi people that defied the security threats and voted ? what shall we tell them?? asked Hussein al-Sadr, a member of a coalition headed by interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

Sensing a growing wave of frustration and a possible debacle, the temporary speaker took action, ordering all journalists out of the room. That provoked further objections from the assembly, but the speaker was firm.

?I am the speaker and I have decided this,? declared Dhari al-Fayad, speaking in a conference centre that was once part of Saddam Hussein?s presidential complex.

Allawi, whose coalition came third in the election and who has turned down requests to join the yet-to-be-formed government, walked out of the session shortly afterwards.

At a Baghdad coffee shop, residents who watched the proceedings on television were appalled by the mess. ?It?s impossible for them to agree on anything,? said Ahmed Hatim, 45. ?They don?t want to serve Iraq. They are after power and privileges.?