The Kurdistan Region Parliament building, located in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region
Jan. 22
Kurdistan Region Parliament: interim speaker calls for parliamentarians to attend session this week
ERBIL — Mohammed Suleiman, interim speaker of the Kurdistan Region Parliament has called on members to attend a parliamentary session scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 22, during its sixth term.
Suleiman issued a notice informing lawmakers of the session and urging their presence at the specified time.
In a written communication, Suleiman requested that members be summoned to conclude the first parliamentary sitting. It is unclear whether the session will result in electing the leadership of the Kurdistan Parliament.
“If the session does not take place,” Suleiman cautioned, “legal responsibility and any subsequent developments will fall on the parliamentary factions.”
At a press conference on Saturday, Shaswar Abdulwahid, leader of New Generation Movement, warned that Mohammed Suleiman, a New Generation MP, will step down if the leadership of the Kurdistan Parliament is not elected by Wednesday.
The New Generation Movement secured 15 seats in the October Kurdistan parliamentary elections.
The first session was held on Dec. 2, 2024. During that session, the interim Speaker, as the oldest member of parliament, was elected, and members took the constitutional oath. However, the session was adjourned indefinitely due to ongoing disagreements among political factions.
In the initial session, nominations for the positions of Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Secretary of Parliament were announced. A total of 15 candidates from five different political factions were nominated, including representatives from the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the two main parties in the region.
The Kurdistan Region held parliamentary elections for its 100-seat legislative chamber on Oct. 20, 2024. Preliminary results were released the following day, and final results were officially announced on Oct. 30.
After review and validation by the judicial committee supervising the elections, the Kurdistan Democratic Party emerged as the largest party, winning 39 seats, followed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan with 23 seats.