At a Glance

• The KDP and minority blocs urged all MPs to attend Wednesday's session.

• Channel8 understands the official session call lacks the Parliament President's approval.

• The Stance Movement (Halwest) refused to participate in electing parliamentary leadership.

• The parliament remains inactive two years after the elections.

Vala Fareed, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) parliamentary bloc, speaking on behalf of the KDP and components blocs, criticized the ongoing inactivity of the Kurdistan Parliament more than two years after elections, calling on all lawmakers to attend this Wednesday's session to restore democratic governance.

Key Statements and Focus Area

• The KDP parliamentary bloc told a press conference on Tuesday, “Unfortunately, more than two years after the holding of the sixth term elections of the Kurdistan Parliament, the Kurdistan Parliament is still not active and has been unable to fulfill its expected legal duties within the governance system of the Kurdistan Region.

• “This is because all the duties and procedures of the first session of the term, which was held on December 2, 2024, have not been implemented in accordance with the applicable laws,” she added.

• The Presidency of the Kurdistan Region Parliament’s Diwan has officially scheduled tomorrow as the date to resume and complete the first session of the parliament's sixth legislative term. However, Channel8 has learned the document was issued by the Deputy President of the Diwan without the President's approval, lacking both an official stamp and a signature.

KDP lawmaker Fareed emphasized that the voice and will of the citizens “only hold meaning” when channeled through an active parliament.

Fareed stressed that the legislative body remaining deactivated is “contrary to the principles of democracy and the supreme interests of the Kurdistan Region.”

She urged all parliamentarians to be present in the hall of the Kurdistan Parliament this Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Stance Movement (Halwest) announced that it will not participate in the parliamentary session to elect the parliament's presidency.

“Because Halwest decided from the very beginning to be in the opposition, it is not the duty of the opposition to elect a leadership body for one or two ruling powers, who will then go on to appoint the Kurdistan Region President and the prime minister," the statement added.

The movement highlighted that it has not joined any other political bloc in the past, and it will not align with any side now under any pretext, adding that “it will remain a truthful and serious opposition force.”

FYI

The 2024 Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections were held on October 20, 2024, resulting in the KDP securing a plurality of 39 seats and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) securing 23 seats. 

Although newly elected lawmakers were sworn in during the inaugural session on December 2 of the same year, deep political rifts prevented parliament from electing a speaker or a formal legislative presidency.

This procedural failure led to a prolonged political stalemate, with the two main ruling parties unable to reach a power-sharing consensus regarding senior government positions and sovereign ministries. 

Consequently, subsequent attempts to convene the legislature have consistently failed to meet the required legal quorum, leaving the parliament completely inactive for over two years while the existing government continues to operate in a caretaker capacity

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