Kurdistan Region Parliament
The Kurdistan Regional Parliament, also known as Kurdistan Parliament - Iraq[2] (Kurdish: پەرلەمانی كوردستان; Arabic: برلمان اقليم كردستان), or simply Perleman, is the parliament of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. It is made up of representatives from the various parties, lists or slates that are elected every four years by the inhabitants of Kurdistan Region, which is currently governed by the Kurdistan Regional Government. In 2009 an amendment was applied to the Kurdistan Election Law of the year 1992, changing the name of the body to Kurdish Parliament from its previous name: the Kurdish National Assembly.[2][3]
Kurdistan Regional Parliament
برلمان اقليم كردستان
پەرلەمانی كوردستان
پەرلەمانی كوردستان
The Parliament is a 111-member unicameral body in which 11 seats are reserved for non-Kurdish minority communities of the Kurdistan Region. The Parliament building is located in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region.[4]
Sessions are held two times per year, each covering a span of four months. It is organized into 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.[5]
Structure, functions, and founding principles[edit]
The parliament is the Kurdistan Region’s elected legislative body, consisting of one chamber. The three main functions of the IKP are to examine proposals for new laws, to scrutinize government policy and administration, and to debate major issues.
The founding principles of the IKP are liberty, pluralism, accountability, openness, and the representation of all citizens of Kurdistan Region.
History of the Assembly[edit]
To protect civilians from attacks by Iraqi military forces following the 1991 Gulf War, the US, UK and France initiated a no-fly zone above the 36th line of latitude which cuts across Kurdistan. On the ground, a security zone was established by military forces from eleven countries. These no-fly and security zones strongly supported and encouraged refugees, including those who had left in the 1970s, to return to their homes.
In 1991, Saddam Hussein withdrew his forces and his administration, including the national flag, from parts of the Kurdistan Region. Compounding the hardship caused by an international UN embargo on Iraq, Saddam Hussein enforced an additional internal embargo on the region that stopped food and fuel supplies, disconnected electrical power and prevented the movement of people to other parts of the country.
Faced with the administrative vacuum and double embargo, the Kurdistan Front, an alliance of diverse political groups in Kurdistan Region, decided to hold a general election. Their goal was to establish an administration to meet the basic needs of the people. The population also expressed a strong desire to choose its representatives. The election, held on 19 May 1992, was the first parliamentary election in the history of Iraq. Voter turnout was very high and the elections were deemed to be free, fair, and democratic by international observers. After decades of dictatorship, the people in Kurdistan were able to vote for their representatives.
This regional election led to the formation of the first Kurdistan National Assembly (later Kurdistan Region Parliament) and the establishment of the Kurdistan Regional Government. The people of the Kurdistan Region decided to remain part of Iraq, and to adopt and abide by all national laws except for those that violated human and universal rights.
Kurdistan National Assembly convened on 15 July 1992. Law No. 1, the first law passed by the assembly, established it as the Region’s legislature.
Elections[edit]
1992 elections[edit]
On 19 May 1992, 6 months after Kurds had gained their freedom, the first elections were held. Due to the 7% threshold the only parties which had a chance of winning seats in parliament were the KDP and the PUK. The election resulted in a narrow victory for the KDP, which with 45% of the vote gained 51 seats while the PUK with 44% of the vote gained 49 seats. However, due to allegations of election fraud they divided the seats 50–50 and created a unity government. The government however collapsed and resulted in a civil war breaking out in 1994. The last parliamentary meeting was held in 1996.[6] It resulted in the creation of two Kurdish states, a PUK-controlled state based in Silemani and a KDP-controlled state based in Hewler, both proclaiming themselves as legitimate rulers of Kurdistan.[7]
Structure of the Kurdistan Parliament[edit]
There are 111 seats in the Kurdistan Parliament (as stipulated in Law No. 1 passed by the KNA in 1992). Currently, women hold 39 seats.[24] The legal requirement is that at least 30% of the parliamentarians are women (according to IKP Law No. 1, Article 22 amended in Article 10 of Law no. 47 for 2004, third amendment of Law no. 1 for 1992).
Eleven seats have been allocated to represent the Assyrian, Armenian, and Turkmen minority communities in the KRG-administered provinces.[3]
As provided in the federal constitution of Iraq, the KNA has considerable power to debate and legislate on policy in a wide range of areas. It has a number of committees which work on the following areas:
The KNA shares legislative power with the federal authorities in these areas, but priority is given to the KNA’s laws. In addition, under Article 121 of the Iraqi federal constitution, the KNA has the right to amend the application of Iraq-wide legislation that falls outside of the federal authorities’ exclusive powers.