Parliament Speaker: We prevented the disruption of national consensus by law

Kurdistan 02:03 PM - 2023-05-27

Rewaz Faeq, Kurdistan Parliament Speaker.

One party attempted to pass the issue of the elections through the parliament illegally. However, the speaker and Patriotic Union Kurdistan (PUK) faction stopped it because the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) had previously agreed to pass all national issues by consensus with the PUK and the Gorran Movement, both of which are members of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 

Concerning the chaotic session on May 22, 2023, the Kurdistan Parliament's speaker stated: "The deputy speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament attempted to illegally pass the election issue in parliament on the orders of the prime minister, but we prevented it using the legal authority we possessed."

The Kurdistan Parliament held a session on May 22, 2023. The Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament, Dr. Rewaz Faeq, abruptly adjourned the meeting because the topic of reactivating the electoral commission for the Kurdistan Region was added to the agenda without giving all factions a 24-hour notice, which is against the parliament's rules of procedure.

Issues with a national dimension should be resolved through consensus

"The KDP has never shared the same view as the PUK, Gorran, and other parties, who were all in favor of amending the electoral law," said Dr. Rewaz Faeq, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament, at a press conference. "However, following the prolongation of the legislative session, the same party declared that it would like to change the electoral legislation. “We believe that issues with a national dimension should be resolved via consensus, not through what was seen during the Kurdistan Parliament meeting on May 22."

"As the speaker of parliament, I am responsible for respecting the agreement reached between political parties on national issues, and I am responsible for not allowing national harmony to be disrupted," she added.

What happened at the last session was illegal

"Hemn Hawrami attempted to add an item to the May 22 session, while I, the speaker of parliament, told them that if the item is added, the session will be illegal because according to the rules of procedure, members of parliament must be notified of the agenda 24 hours before the session, so when the deputy speaker of parliament wants to act illegally by order of the prime minister, we have the right to prevent it legally," Dr. Faeq said.

"We emphasize that what happened in the last session of the Kurdistan Parliament was illegal, and the PUK and other political forces, all of which had one package on reactivating the electoral commission, succeeded. What is being circulated now is a dead issue," she continued. "Justice Minister Farsat Ahmad used to be parliament secretary for three terms, so he knows better than any of us that what happened was illegal, but sadly he didn't stop it."

The speaker of parliament turned to the council of commissioners and said: "The Judicial Council is scheduled to meet tomorrow on the issue of reactivating the commission, so I call on the council to play their legal and moral role and not allow themselves to become part of the illegal activities that one party wants to follow." Any decision to reactivate the commission is a continuation of the illegalities committed by the KDP recently in parliament. "I tell everyone that the PUK has other options to end the KDP's joke."

Karwan Gaznay: One party wants to pass the election issue illegally

"The speaker's stance on ending the session was not for the PUK, but for the sake of national security and the rule of law," Karwan Gaznay, a member of the PUK faction in the Kurdistan Parliament, stated.

"Over the last five years, the PUK faction has tried to agree with other factions on national issues," he stated, "but when a party wants to pass an important issue like elections unilaterally and illegally without national consensus, the Green faction will stop it."

The PUK has tried to make Parliament a platform to serve the citizens

MP Gaznay stated: "As the PUK faction, we have endeavored to make the parliament a platform for defending the rights of families of martyrs, teachers, and employees and expanding employment opportunities, rather than a platform for determining the timing of elections, which is already specified by law."

"The PUK faction insists on holding clear and fair elections in the Kurdistan Region, and our goal is to ensure that minorities have real representatives in parliament and are not used for national issues," he added.




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