Parliament Speaker uses absolute power against illegal procedures

Kurdistan 01:49 PM - 2023-05-22

Parliament Presidency.

To avoid a session of the Kurdistan Parliament that would violate the rules of process, the Speaker of the Parliament used her full powers and declared: "According to the authority given to me, I decided to adjourn the session."

 

On Monday, May 22, 2023, the Kurdistan Parliament convened. As a result of a non-compliant and illegal provision that was introduced to the agenda with the signatures of Deputy Speaker Hemin Hawrami and Secretary of the Kurdistan Parliament Muna Kahveci, the session was abruptly called to a conclusion by Dr. Rewaz Faeq, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament.

Speaker Dr Faeq stated that no outcome of the session has no legal or procedural value after its adjournment, adding that according to paragraph (11) of Article 18, only the speaker of parliament has the authority to sign all documents of parliament, and this authority has not been transferred to anybody else.

Ziad Jabar: Whenever there is a compromise, the KDP tries to destroy it

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) faction in the Kurdistan Parliament prevented an illegal action that violated the Kurdistan Parliament's norms of procedure, and the PUK faction's head stated: "Whenever there is a compromise, the KDP will try to destroy it."

Ziad Jabar, the leader of the PUK faction in the Kurdistan Parliament, stated at a news conference: "The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has always attempted to end the rapprochement between the PUK and the KDP."

He added: "They added an item to the agenda for today's session that was unlawful and against the rules of procedure yesterday."

"The secretary of parliament, a representative of the minorities, has played a negative role and contributed to tensions in the Kurdistan Region. Without her, the situation in the Kurdistan Region would have never attained its current state," Jabar said. "As a result, as members of the Kurdistan Parliament, we must prevent any illegal activity in the parliament, and it is commendable that the speaker of the parliament prevented this illegal action and postponed the session."

"The KDP faction attempted to illegally pass the item, which they placed on the agenda yesterday in violation of the rules of procedure, but the PUK faction stood up against the illegal item and did not allow it to pass," he added.

"After the meeting between the Political Bureaus of the PUK and KDP in Pirmam, Deputy Speaker Hemin Hawrami returned to parliament and issued the illegitimate decision," he said.

"The PUK faction will maintain its stance on the amendment of the electoral law, which is the demand of the parties and people of the Kurdistan Region, and will not permit elections to be held under the old law," he added.

Gorran faction: Amendment of the electoral law and reactivation of the commission is a package

The leader of the Gorran faction demanded that the election issue be resolved through dialogue between the parties, and the government parties agreed that the amendment of the law and the reactivation of the commission should be included in the same package.

The Gorran faction leader in the Kurdistan Parliament, Gulistan Said, stated at a news conference that the election issue is a national one that needs to be resolved by the parties and that one party cannot manipulate the matter to its advantage without considering the interests of all parties into account.

 

"There was an understanding between the political parties on the issue of elections, especially between the parties that form the government.” "We signed an agreement to amend the electoral law and reactivate the commission," she continued.

 

"Without taking significant steps to reform the electoral law, the commission cannot be resurrected," Said said.

Luqman Wardi: The rumors that the commission will be reactivated are false

The Kurdistan Parliament has not held a meeting to reactivate the commission, and any party attempting to do so violates the law. The PUK faction's deputy leader, Luqman Wardi, told PUKMEDIA: "There has not been a procedure to vote on the commission's reactivation in the Kurdistan parliament, and any party disseminating rumors to the contrary is false."

"According to the authority granted to her, the speaker of parliament adjourned the session indefinitely; any session held after her decision is unlawful and in violation of Kurdistan's procedural laws," Wardi said.

Earlier, PUK faction leader  Ziad Jabar of the Kurdistan Parliament said in a press conference:
"Since the election issue is a national matter and should be resolved through national agreement, we were able to block the illegal clause that was added to today's session."



PUKMEDIA