Iraq: Kurdish Parliament extends its legislative term by a year

“A total of 80 lawmakers, consisting of MPs of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), a number of Goran (Change) Movement, as well as 11 other members of the ethnic and religious components' block, voted in favor of the extension,” said Dr. Rewaz Faiq Hussein, the Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament.

After the approval of the proposal, the current fifth term of Parliament, which was due to end on 6 November 2022, will continue until November 2023, and elections must be held before or by the end of the extension.

The Parliament of Kurdistan is a 111-member unicameral body in which 11 seats are reserved for non-Kurdish minority communities of the Kurdistan Region. The IKP building is located in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region.

The parliament holds two sessions per year, each covering a span of four months. The IKP works by committees that focus on certain areas, such as legal affairs, education and higher education, finance and economy, and culture.

Legislative proposals and bills are initiated via the Regional Council of Ministries or by the endorsement of ten individual members of parliament. (ILKHA)