KRG to Halbousi: ‘Erbil does not welcome your visit’

ERBIL — The Kurdistan Regional Government on Thursday fired back at former parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi after he said he would never visit the city, with a government spokesperson accusing him of corruption and “chauvinistic thinking.”

KRG spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani wrote on X: “Erbil does not welcome your visit, as there is no place here for those who deny gratitude.”

He added: “You represent chauvinistic thinking that warrants judicial accountability over the millions of dollars you earned through corruption files, exploiting the blood and sweat of the Iraqi people.”

Hawramani said, “The continued presence of figures like you unfortunately confirms that chauvinism has not yet disappeared in Iraq,” adding, “You should draw lessons from history; the Kurdistan Region is the product of great sacrifices, and you are beneath setting limits on its will.”

The exchange followed an interview al-Halbousi gave Wednesday on Dijla TV, in which the Taqaddum Party leader denied reports that he had sought international mediation to travel to Erbil.

Recalling opposition he faced from the Kurdistan Democratic Party during an earlier bid for the speakership, al-Halbousi said: “They told me there is an objection to you from the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Why don’t you go to Erbil so you can become speaker of parliament?”

He added: “I told them it is not for the speakership. Erbil is not an option for me, and even if my livelihood depended on it, I would not go to Erbil, and I remain committed to this position.”

Thursday’s exchange marked the latest clash between al-Halbousi and the KDP. In September 2024, he opposed U.S. delivery of howitzer artillery to the Peshmerga, calling it unconstitutional and warning the weapons could fuel ethnic conflict in Kirkuk and Nineveh provinces.

KDP President Masoud Barzani responded by calling al-Halbousi and other critics “chauvinists,” saying the Peshmerga “is a tree that has been watered with the blood of martyrs.” Hoshyar Zebari, a senior Kurdish politician, called al-Halbousi’s stance “cheap populism”. A KDP politburo member accused him of exploiting the Kurdistan Region issue as a bargaining chip amid disputes with Shiite factions.

Al-Halbousi served as speaker from 2018 until November 2023, when Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court revoked his parliamentary membership on forgery charges related to a fellow lawmaker’s resignation letter.

After the Nov. 11 elections, al-Halbousi’s Taqaddum Party won 36 seats. He sought to return as speaker but faced resistance from rival Sunni factions. The blocs ultimately nominated his party colleague Haibat al-Halbousi as their consensus candidate, and parliament elected him speaker on Dec. 29 with 208 votes.