ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Parliament met the legal quorum to resume proceedings on Wednesday, with 52 lawmakers attending the long-delayed session despite boycotts by major political parties, as defections from opposition ranks helped end nearly two years of legislative paralysis.
All lawmakers from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) have been present, alongside representatives of smaller parties, minority communities, and several lawmakers affiliated with or formerly belonging to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the New Generation Movement.
The attendance exceeded the 51-member majority required to convene the 100-seat legislature, clearing a major hurdle in efforts to elect a parliamentary presidium consisting of a speaker, deputy speaker, and secretary.
The parliament has remained effectively paralyzed since its inaugural session in December 2024, as the KDP and PUK have failed to reach an agreement on forming the next Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet and distributing senior positions. The KDP has pushed to reactivate the legislature independently of government formation negotiations, while the PUK has insisted that an agreement on the distribution of top posts must come first.
Opposition ranks split
Nishtiman Nawprdani, a PUK lawmaker, confirmed to Rudaw on Wednesday that she would participate in the session and vote to elect the parliamentary presidium, despite her party's official call for a boycott.
"We are here to safeguard the entity of the Kurdistan Region and for the interests of the people of Kurdistan," she said.
The PUK on Tuesday denounced the planned sitting as illegal, arguing that it undermined political partnership and should not proceed without an agreement among the Kurdistan Region's major parties.
Hardi Salah, a former PUK lawmaker who recently declared himself independent over what he described as the party's broken promises, also attended.
"Deactivating and freezing the parliament poses an enormous danger to the Kurdistan Region. Since we have taken an oath, we shouldn't be acting in a manner against the Kurdistan Region's supreme interests," Salah told journalists.
"Unfortunately, due to political rivalries in the last few years in the Kurdistan Region and the ensuing obstinacy, we have allowed Baghdad to make decisions for us that we are otherwise constitutionally entitled to make ourselves," he said.
Salah argued that parliament was the appropriate institution for resolving political disputes and expressed hope that the current term would finally adopt a constitution for the Kurdistan Region to prevent future legislative paralysis.
He maintained that his participation was based on his own convictions, denying that he had been pressured to attend.
Mala Shvan Baroshki, a New Generation lawmaker who said he had become independent, likewise confirmed his decision to participate.
"It is my personal decision. I studied this decision until late last night," Baroshki told reporters, arguing that reactivating parliament was necessary to protect the public interest and the Kurdistan Region's achievements.
Mohammed Feisal Karim Khan, another former PUK lawmaker who declared himself independent three months ago, was also present on the parliament grounds. However, he declined to confirm to journalists whether he would participate in the session.
The Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal), the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), and the National Stance Movement (Halwest) did not attend, while most PUK and New Generation lawmakers also stayed away.
Lawmakers defend session's legality
Mona Qahwachi, a Turkmen Reform Party lawmaker who served as parliament's secretary during its previous term, defended the legality of Wednesday's proceedings.
"We decided long ago, as the Turkmen Reform Party, to reactivate the Kurdistan Parliament. It is the legislative authority, and all members of parliament must fulfill this duty under the bylaws," she told Rudaw.
Citing Articles 11 and 14 of parliament's internal regulations, Qahwachi argued that Wednesday's sitting was legally valid because it was a continuation of the legislature's unfinished inaugural session.
Earlier, she had expressed confidence that the required quorum would be secured "without a doubt."
Ardalan Mohammed Sarspi, the head of parliament's administrative office, known as the Divan, reiterated that the presence of 51 lawmakers would be sufficient to hold a legal session.
"My stance has been the same. If there are 51 MPs in the parliament hall, it will be a legal session," Sarspi, a PUK member, told Rudaw.
He said the parliamentary presidium would be elected if the session proceeded.
Sarspi had denied issuing an invitation circulated under the Divan's name on Tuesday, saying that the required number of lawmakers had not been secured at the time.
Tariq Jawhar Sarmami, a senior media adviser to the Kurdistan Parliament and a PUK member, did not dispute the legality of the session but warned that "anything done outside consensus is not good."
Presidium election
Rudaw has learned that Vala Farid, head of the KDP parliamentary bloc, is expected to become speaker, with Christian quota lawmaker Rami Nouri as deputy speaker and Qahwachi as secretary.
Mohammed Sulaiman, a New Generation lawmaker who has served as interim speaker by virtue of being the oldest member of parliament, did not attend Wednesday's proceedings.
The second-oldest lawmaker, Azad Mohammedamin, was also absent. Rudaw has learned that KDP lawmaker Sameera Hassan, the third-oldest member, is expected to preside over the session.
Other lawmakers attending the sitting welcomed the effort to restart parliamentary work.
Ala Jaff, a lawmaker from the People's Front (Baray Gal), said her participation was a matter of national responsibility.
"This is my national duty. People have voted for me and placed their confidence in me. I represent the voice of all the martyrs of Kurdistan. This is our national duty, and the People's Front faction will therefore take part," she said.
Halgurd Sheikh Najib, a KDP lawmaker, expressed hope that the legislature could finally resume its responsibilities.
"We have put up with this for two years. We hope the session will be held successfully and the presidium gets elected so that the parliament is reactivated. This is the wish of the people, who have lost hope," he said.
Rebin Haji Mahmoud, the sole lawmaker from the Kurdistan Social Democratic Party, also expressed hope that the legal quorum would be met.
The breakthrough comes amid a prolonged political deadlock following the October 2024 parliamentary elections, in which the KDP emerged as the largest party with 39 seats, followed by the PUK with 23 and the New Generation Movement with 15.
Negotiations over forming the tenth KRG cabinet have repeatedly stalled over disagreements between the KDP and PUK concerning the distribution of government posts and institutional authority.
Although Wednesday's attendance provided the numbers necessary to proceed with parliamentary business, the divisions between the Kurdistan Region's principal political parties remain unresolved.
