ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Parliament elected its presidency on Wednesday after 52 lawmakers attended a long-delayed session, achieving a tight quorum made possible by fractures within opposing political parties.
The 52 members unanimously elected Vala Farid, head of the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), as speaker, Christian quota lawmaker Rami Noori as Farid’s deputy, and Turkmen quota lawmaker Muna Qahwachi as the secretary, her second stint at the job.
“Today’s session was held according to the law and [the parliament’s] bylaws,” Farid stated in a press conference after the vote, adding that the newly-elected board will not be “temporary” but "permanent."
She further noted that they will initiate “legal proceedings” to nominate the Kurdistan Region Presidency as well as the tenth cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The election of the parliamentary presidium comes against the backdrop of widespread boycott, with 32 lawmakers from the ruling Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and its New Generation ally skipping the session, endangering the territorial unity of the Region.
Securing the quorum
When the ruling KDP announced its surprise move on Tuesday, the KDP and its allies were six votes short of a quorum. The coalition held just 45 seats: 39 for the KDP, three for quota representatives, two for the People’s Front (Baray Gal) of the jailed former PUK leader Lahur Sheikh Jangi, and one for the Kurdistan Social Democratic Party.
Meanwhile, an opposing bloc of 51 lawmakers pledged to boycott the session. In addition to the PUK and NGM, the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), the National Stance Movement (Halwest), the Change Movement (Gorran), and the Kurdistan Justice Group (KJG) had all announced they wouldn’t participate in elections.
Fractures within the opposing bloc surfaced as early as late Tuesday, with additional members of the bloc showing up at the parliament’s campus in the final minutes prior to the session, held at 11:00 am.
Nishtiman Nawprdani, Hardi Salah, and Mohammed Faysal Karimkhan from the PUK attended the session, saying that they were “independent” and have severed ties with the party.
Nawprdani told Rudaw’s Ranja Jamal after the session that she will "absolutely" participate in the next parliamentary sessions.
Salah said the meeting was “normal” and it had to be held sooner, confirming that he will stay “independent” throughout the parliamentary term.
Three members from the NGM, Shivan Baroshki, Dariush Ali and Khalid Mohammed, followed suit.
Baroshki told reports before the session that participating was “his personal decision” and that he studied this decision until late last night.”
Sara Muhsin and Sazgar Fayaq from the Halwest Movement also said they are “independent” and participated in the session.
Subsequently, the Halwest said both lawmakers were “dismissed” from the movement.
“The slogan of our campaign was ‘No Surrender to this authority. Now, they take the votes of the dissatisfied public and surrender them to this very authority,” the movement’s statement read, adding that “they gained posts and money, but they lost their trust and character.”
PUK’s position
The PUK has apparently suffered a huge setback. The three seats it lost, along with the NGM’s equivalent share of loss, will cost their alliance six seats. It was originally formed to challenge the KDP’s grip on power, but the Wednesday split weakens their position in future negotiations with the KDP.
Rudaw learned that the PUK’s parliamentary faction is holding a meeting in Dabashan in a house belonging to veteran leader Kosrat Rasul. Rudaw has learnt PUK is planning to release a “tense statement” soon.
The party had said Tuesday that the scheduled session was “illegal, far removed from the principles of genuine partnership, and it is an attempt to impose the will of a single party.”
“If the basis of democracy is compromised by influencing lawmakers' decisions through purchasing, threats, and psychological pressure,” the party added, then within “such a paper framework,” we will not recognize any parliament or government resulting from such sessions.
Mahmoud Mohammed, KDP’s spokesperson, said after the session that the move was “not against any person or party, and the door remains open to everyone,” while expressing hope the boycotting parties could make “a positive decision and participate in protecting the legitimacy and entity of the Kurdistan Region."
He further accused the PUK and NGM of “paralyzing” the parliament over the past two years through their “political decisions.”
Due to the parliament’s paralysis in the past two years, the Kurdistan Region hasn’t had a new cabinet. The KRG’s ninth cabinet, in power since July 2019, is yet to be replaced.
The development comes as the Federal Supreme Court in late October postponed - for the second time - a ruling on a lawsuit that demands changing the status of the current Kurdish government to caretaker. The court is expected to meet on December 14 for the ruling.
The Federal Supreme Court has previously issued rulings that Kurdish leaders have labeled as attempts to relinquish the Kurdistan Region’s constitutional authority, including nullifying a decision by the Kurdistan Parliament to extend its fifth term in 2024 and barring the region from exporting oil independently from Baghdad.
