Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against the self-extension of the Kurdistan Region’s parliament by another year, declaring that the term of the legislature has ended. The court also declared that decisions and laws issued by the Kurdistan parliament after its legal deadline had surpassed are null and void.
The ruling was met with strong reactions from the people of the Kurdistan Region, who saw the decision as a measure to belittle the political entity of the Region and its government.
“They, the federal Supreme Court, wish the Region as a whole did not exist anymore. Maybe the Kurds did not have the right conditions to conduct the elections at this moment, but they do believe in the electoral process. In any country, if the right conditions are not met, there is a law to extend the term,” Reza Mohammed, a Kurdish citizen, told Rudaw.
Kurdish political parties and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have mostly refrained from issuing direct comments on the ruling.
Spokesperson for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Mahmood Mohammed released a statement following the court’s ruling, stating that holding the parliamentary elections on time later this year remains the party’s priority, calling on the Region’s political parties to cooperate towards that endeavor.
Harem Kamal Agha, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) bloc in the Iraqi parliament, said that the party will abide by the court’s ruling as it out of the control of any political party.
Residents of Baghdad who spoke to Rudaw echoed conflicting opinions on the court’s ruling, with some welcoming it as an effort towards preserving the constitutional rulings, while others called on the federal court to leave the affairs of the Region to the authorities in Erbil.
“This is honestly the right decision. I hope they apply all the rulings of the constitution, not just this one. Because our people are in need for a sense of belonging and walking together hand in hand. That’s why I hope they apply all the rulings of the constitution,” said Iqbal Abd Radha, an academic.
“I believe the political situation in Iraq cannot handle such rulings, because the Iraqi constitution includes ticking time-bombs and we have to take into consideration the situation the Region is currently going through,” Hussein Asaad, a public sector employee, told Rudaw, adding “We do not want to touch the federal Supreme Court, but the court must withdraw itself from certain subjects.”
The Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections are set to be held on November 18, over a year removed from its originally scheduled date. The Region’s inability to hold elections last year due to continued disagreements between the political blocs over the electoral law and electoral commission pushed the parliament in October to extend its four-year term for an additional year.
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