ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s highest judicial authority on Monday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Kurdish opposition lawmaker Srwa Abdulwahid seeking to annul the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) landmark electricity project, Runaki, which aims to provide uninterrupted 24-hour power across the Region.
In a statement published on its official website, the Federal Supreme Court rejected the case - identified as No.105/Federal/2025 - on the grounds of “lack of jurisdiction.” The lawsuit pitted Abdulwahid against Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani “in their official capacities.”
The complaint disputes the KRG Council of Ministers' May decision No. 280, which outlines the "implementation of the 24-hour continuous electricity project - Runaki project - allocating 265 billion Iraqi dinars [around $202 million] annually to support electricity subscribers” and provide round-the-clock electricity service.
The Runaki initiative is a cornerstone of the KRG’s infrastructure modernization efforts. Already operational in parts of Erbil, Duhok, and Sulaimani provinces, the project aims to phase out diesel generators, reduce emissions, and deliver consistent electricity. As of July, over two million people in the Region are receiving 24-hour electricity, according to the KRG.
Abdulwahid, who leads the New Generation Movement (NGM) bloc in Iraq’s parliament - the largest opposition group in the anticipated KRG cabinet - has been a vocal critic of the KRG and a persistent legal challenger.
While the Federal Court did not disclose the detailed legal basis of her latest petition, Aziz Ahmad, deputy chief of staff to PM Barzani, hinted at underlying tensions stating, “This was never about electricity.”
In a Monday statement on X, Ahmad further slammed Abdulwahid’s lawsuit remarking, “While families and businesses enjoy uninterrupted power for the first time since 1991, [MP] Srwa Abdulwahid and the New Generation movement are in Baghdad trying to shut it down.
“The KRG will keep pushing to extend the Runaki programme to every city and village by the end of 2026,” Ahmad affirmed.
In addition to her push to annul Runaki, Abdulwahid has filed multiple high-profile lawsuits against the KRG.
Earlier in July, the Federal Court dismissed her legal attempt to dissolve the Kurdistan Region Parliament, also citing lack of jurisdiction. In July 2024, she filed a petition demanding the dissolution of the KRG and its institutions if parliamentary elections were not held within three months. That case was similarly dismissed.
Abdulwahid was also a plaintiff in an August 2023 lawsuit against PM Barzani over salary deductions for public employees and retirees - again dismissed by the court for jurisdictional reasons.
Separately, the Federal Court on Monday dismissed two additional lawsuits related to the salary disputes between Erbil and Baghdad, also citing jurisdictional limitations.
One case was filed by three Kurdish citizens seeking to shield public the Region’s public employee salaries from federal-regional political feuding. The second lawsuit demanded consistent salary payments and an urgent court injunction to compel the federal finance ministry to resume disbursements to the KRG.
These cases were filed after tensions escalated between Erbil and Baghdad in late May when the federal finance ministry halted budget transfers to the KRG, accusing the latter of exceeding its 12.67 percent budget share and failing to meet oil export obligations. The halt left over 1.2 million KRG public sector workers unpaid for more than two months.
However, the standoff has eased following renewed dialogue between the KRG and federal governments. On Thursday, the KRG’s finance ministry announced it had received nearly 975 billion dinars (around $737 million) from Baghdad to cover May salaries, signaling progress in resolving the dispute.
