Ilham Ahmed Calls for 20% of Syrian Parliamentary Seats to Be Allocated to Kurds

Sulaymaniyah Governorate's Media Office

Kurdish Politician Ilham Ahmed speaking at the University of Sulaimani.

Ilham Ahmed, a Kurdish politician from Western Kurdistan (Rojava), stressed the need to guarantee the political, cultural and educational rights of Kurds in Syria, calling for Kurdish representatives to be allocated 20 percent of parliamentary seats.

Ahmed made the remarks during a seminar at the University of Sulaimani in Sulaymaiyah, where she discussed the latest political developments in Western Kurdistan, the state of education and the rights of Kurds in Syria.

She said Kurds had previously been denied recognition as a people in Syria and had faced oppression and discriminatory laws. However, she noted that they were now working to assert their identity and secure recognition of their rights.

On education, Ahmed rejected any attempt to exclude Kurds from the education system or deny them their rights. She said recent educational reforms had helped advance the Kurdish language and stressed that it should be formally recognised as a right under the Syrian Constitution.

Addressing political developments and the integration process, Ahmed highlighted the role of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) within the state structure, alongside developments in the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

She also expressed concern about the limited representation of women in decision-making positions, saying the transitional governance framework did not yet enable women to play a full and active role.

Ahmed called for a committee to be established to define Kurdish rights and clarify the role of Kurds within state institutions. She said allocating 20 percent of parliamentary seats to Kurdish representatives and establishing such a committee would help ensure the integration process succeeds.

She further emphasised the need to continue addressing women’s issues and to establish a fair education system that provides all communities of Syrian society with equal opportunities to learn and participate.

The seminar concluded with an open discussion, during which Ahmed answered questions from attendees on political developments, Kurdish rights and the future of the integration process in Syria.



PUKMEDIA