Kurdistan Parliament to convene, hold first session on Sep. 14: Media office

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) - The media office of the Kurdistan Region's Parliament on Tuesday released a statement confirming the parliament will be reactivated and hold its first session on Thursday, eleven days ahead of the referendum on independence for the Kurdistan Region.

The Parliament was dismantled in late 2015 following a political dispute between the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Gorran (Change) party.

The reactivation of the parliament comes as the Kurdistan Region prepares to go to the polls on Sep. 25, in a referendum where the people of the region will decide whether to remain a part of Iraq or secede from the rest of the country as a newly-established state.

Kurdish officials in the past months have repeatedly highlighted the importance of reactivating Parliament which would provide legitimacy and a legal grounding for the upcoming referendum.

"As the Kurdistan Region marches toward its destiny, the Kurdistan Region's Parliament needs to play its role in this historic and momentous event," the statement released by the Parliament's media office read.

While most of the Kurdistan Region's parties support the upcoming referendum, Gorran and the Kurdistan Islamic Group (KIG) have called for the postponing of the vote.

Together, Gorran and KIG make up 30 seats in the Kurdistan Region Parliament out of a total of 111. The parties are expected to form the official opposition in the reactivated Parliament.

Parliament is presumed to reconvene at 11:00 a.m. local time on Thursday. 

Editing by G.H. Renaud