Deputy Speaker Dr. Hemin Hawrami: "Political parties will have meeting on the Kurdistan Parliament election next week"
Kurdistan Parliament Deputy Speaker Dr. Hemin Hawrami said at a press conference on 28 August 2022 that Parliament sittings will resume this Thursday 1st September, ending the summer recess, and that the current term of Parliament should be extended to avoid a legal vacuum.
Parliament’s first sitting after the summer recess will be this Thursday 1st September, Dr. Hawrami said. Kurdistan Parliament's presidency at their most recent meeting decided to ask the heads of the parliamentary parties to each make a speech at the sitting to give their views on the legislative process and on the current situation. Any party’s legislative proposals that have been received by the Presidency for this new session will be discussed, he said.
The Deputy Speaker said that one of the important items is the first reading of the Labour Bill sent by the Kurdistan Regional Government, which is very significant legislation for the public.
Deputy Speaker Hawrami said, “Throughout the summer recess Parliament’s committees carried out significant work, and the Education Bill will be ready soon for its second reading at the next Parliament sitting. The report on the Bill on Combating Violence against Women is also nearing completion.”
In response to journalists' questions about the draft Kurdistan Constitution, Dr. Hawrami said, “Parliament's presidency and the heads of the parliamentary parties had a positive meeting. The presidency decided to appoint the Legislative Committee, whose membership comprises most of the parties. We also asked the parties to appoint their own representatives, so that together with the Legislative Committee they can prepare a legislative proposal on the Constitution drafting mechanism. Under the provisions of Law Number 4 of 2014, in the fourth term of Parliament a 21-member drafting committee was couldn’t prepare the Constitution within the stipulated 90 days, and after a long hiatus now a need a new bill that is based on a good understanding, so that we can prepare the draft Constitution in this current parliamentary term, by benefiting from the 74 articles that were drafted in previous terms.”
Regarding the possibility of extending Parliament's current term, Dr. Hawrami said, “Unfortunately, it is a great shame and failing by all the political parties and movements that elections cannot be held on 1st October 2022, which was the date set by the President of the Region [Nechirvan Barzani]. Because of that we didn’t reach an agreement on the Election Law, neither in its current form nor with amendments, nor on reactivating the [Kurdistan High] Election Commission. Fortunately next week there will be another meeting of the political parties under the auspices of the Kurdistan Region President, so we have every hope that they will find common ground and agree on whether the election should be held under the same law or should be amended.”
The Deputy Speaker added that once the parties come to an agreement, the Electoral Commission needs six months to prepare the election and during that time Parliament must avoid falling into a constitutional vacuum if it does not legally extend its term beyond 6th November 2022 and if Kurdistan fails to hold elections. This would create a constitutional and legal vacuum not only for the Kurdistan Parliament but also for all of Kurdistan Region’s institutions, he said, and the Kurdistan Parliament would face the same problems that we are witnessing at the Iraqi Council of Representatives, which is unable to hold sittings and ask for early elections, and we could fall into a deep political crisis such as we are witnessing in Iraq.
Deputy Speaker Hawrami said, “We assure everyone that we will not allow the political crisis in Iraq to unfold in Kurdistan, because it is more important for us to hold a free and fair election. The Kurdistan Parliament is not up for bargaining, this is not a matter for one or only two sides to settle. If any MP, faction or political party is serious about holding elections, they must give Parliament this opportunity, because at this point if an agreement is reached by 7th September [the required legislation] must go through first, second and third readings, and the Electoral Commission needs time to carry out its technical work. That’s why all the parliamentary blocs should extend this current term of Parliament, free from political bargaining, for the sole reason that elections must be held. I believe that failing to extend Parliament’s term will be another shameful episode.”