KDP, PUK reach deal on parliament: session set for October, speakership to PUK
Iraqi Kurdistan's long-dormant parliament is expected to reconvene in October under a deal between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Under the agreement, the speakership will go to the PUK, opening the way for the election of a regional president and the formation of a new government.
RastinewsThe Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have agreed to convene the Kurdistan Parliament in October. Technical and administrative preparations for reactivating the legislature are already underway.
Under the deal, the parliament's first session will elect a presidium, with the speakership going to the PUK.
"We can be ready in under 24 hours"
Saman Ahmed Bekir, the Kurdistan Parliament's information director, said all procedures needed to open a session could be completed in less than a day once the political parties reach a final agreement and formally request one.
Bekir said three separate ballot boxes would be set up in the general assembly hall for the presidium vote. Lawmakers will cast separate ballots for speaker, deputy speaker and parliamentary secretary, with the two youngest members of parliament serving on the counting committee.
Next: a regional president and a government
According to Bekir, once the presidium is in place, the process of electing the president of the Kurdistan Region will begin. The elected president must then win parliamentary approval within 30 days.
That will be followed by a confidence vote for the prime minister and cabinet members. Standing committees must also be formed and begin work within 30 days of the parliament's opening.
Details of the KDP-PUK agreement come from an unnamed source who spoke to Kurdistan24. Neither party has issued an official statement on the matter.
Parliament stalled after its first session
The Kurdistan Region held parliamentary elections on October 20, 2024. The new parliament held its first session on December 2, 2024, when lawmakers were sworn in, but the session was left open after members failed to elect a presidium.
Talks between the KDP and PUK on forming a government have since gone nowhere, leaving the parliament effectively unable to function.