At a Glance

• A joint lawsuit targets the recent Kurdistan parliamentary session.

• PUK and New Generation demand the complete dissolution of the presidency.

• The legal challenge has moved to the Federal Supreme Court.

Himdad Shahin, the spokesperson for the New Generation Movement, along with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against last week's Kurdistan parliamentary session.

Key Statements and Focus Area

• New Generation spokesperson Shahin told Channel8 that the joint lawsuit challenges the legitimacy of the entire legislative session, including the election of the parliamentary presidency, which both parties deem illegal.

• Both the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the New Generation Movement consider the November 4 session to be illegitimate.

Channel8 has learned that the lawsuit demands the annulment of the session as well as the dissolution of the newly elected parliamentary presidency.

The PUK and the New Generation Movement stated that the legislative session was illegal and conducted outside the official protocols of the Kurdistan Parliament, prompting the joint legal challenge before the Federal Supreme Court.

Earlier, Rizgar Haji Hama, a member of the PUK Political Bureau, told Channel8 that the PUK has initiated legal procedures against the three PUK lawmakers who participated in the parliamentary session and subsequently withdrew from the PUK bloc.

He added that the PUK will file official complaints against them with the electoral commission and the judicial election body.

FYI

The Kurdistan Parliament convened earlier this month without a political consensus among the parties and without the participation of the major blocs; during the session, the speaker, deputy speaker, and secretary of parliament were elected. 

This initial assembly followed the October 2024 legislative elections, which had left the Region's dominant political entities divided over power-sharing agreements. 

The choice to move forward with the internal leadership vote drew immediate opposition from major factions. Consequently, the session shifted the political focus from consensus building to administrative disputes over the legitimacy of the parliamentary leadership structure.

The legislative dispute directly impacts the incoming parliament, where the election of the parliamentary presidency remains a key point of contention among competing groups.

PUK President Bafel Jalal Talabani characterized the existing administration as a "failed caretaker government" that has neglected its public duties, describing the recent convention as a violation of democratic principles.

He rejected the legitimacy of the newly leadership and formally directed his party's ministerial representatives to cease all operations within the caretaker cabinet.

Meanwhile, spokesperson Mahmoud Mohammed stated that the KDP welcomes the initiative launched by party’s President Masoud Barzani to overcome the political deadlock, declaring its readiness to launch immediate talks with the PUK and other factions to "respond to the will and aspirations of our citizens." 

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