Kurdistan
Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw (center) speaking to reporters in Erbil on September 25, 2023. Photo: Rudaw/screengrab
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw on Monday said that the Iraqi top court’s ruling the day before to dissolve the Kurdistan Region’s provincial councils was more of a “political” decision rather than a legal one.
Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court on Sunday ruled to dissolve the Kurdistan Region’s provincial councils “due to the end of their electoral cycle,” after declaring an amendment for their extension as “unconstitutional.”
“It is clear that the federal court’s ruling, same as previous rulings, is not as legal as it is political,” Khoshnaw told reporters in Erbil on Monday, adding that they will be awaiting the reactions of the Kurdistan Region's relevant authorities and the Council of Ministers to the ruling before taking any further steps.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Barzani and other Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials have repeatedly questioned the constitutionality of the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court following a series of anti-Kurdistan Region rulings.
Azad Hamadamin, head of the Sulaimani provincial council, told Rudaw on Monday that they will wait for further details from the Iraqi top court in regards to the ruling in the upcoming days, but stressed that the Federal Supreme Court’s decisions cannot be appealed and “there is no other choice but to abide by them.”
“How the Kurdistan Regional Government and official institutions above us decide to deal with this ruling, we will accordingly abide by the law,” Khoshnaw added.
The Kurdistan Region last held provincial council elections in 2014. New polls were supposed to be held in 2018, but disagreements between the Kurdish political parties prevented the process from being carried out.
Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court on Sunday ruled to dissolve the Kurdistan Region’s provincial councils “due to the end of their electoral cycle,” after declaring an amendment for their extension as “unconstitutional.”
“It is clear that the federal court’s ruling, same as previous rulings, is not as legal as it is political,” Khoshnaw told reporters in Erbil on Monday, adding that they will be awaiting the reactions of the Kurdistan Region's relevant authorities and the Council of Ministers to the ruling before taking any further steps.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Barzani and other Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials have repeatedly questioned the constitutionality of the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court following a series of anti-Kurdistan Region rulings.
Azad Hamadamin, head of the Sulaimani provincial council, told Rudaw on Monday that they will wait for further details from the Iraqi top court in regards to the ruling in the upcoming days, but stressed that the Federal Supreme Court’s decisions cannot be appealed and “there is no other choice but to abide by them.”
“How the Kurdistan Regional Government and official institutions above us decide to deal with this ruling, we will accordingly abide by the law,” Khoshnaw added.
The Kurdistan Region last held provincial council elections in 2014. New polls were supposed to be held in 2018, but disagreements between the Kurdish political parties prevented the process from being carried out.
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