Kurdistan parliament postpones second reading of presidency bill

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Kurdistan Region's parliament on Tuesday postponed a session that was slated for the second reading of a law which lays the framework for the reactivation of the regional presidency post.

Signed by 68 lawmakers, the introduction of the legislation came on Thursday to reinstitute the suspended post of regional president and amend the method of its election until MPs ratify a regional constitution.

On Saturday, parliament held a session and gave the first reading of the proposed bill. The body had planned for Tuesday to be the date of the second reading. But in an official announcement just hours before the scheduled meeting, it was postponed to Wednesday.

Following the required three readings of the bill, lawmakers would vote on the passage of all of its articles. Upon passage, parliament would have the authority to “elect a president,” head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) bloc in parliament explained to Kurdistan 24 on Thursday.

The Kurdistan Region previously held separate elections to select a president, but parliament seeks to alter this process for the time being in hopes of facilitating the formation of a new regional government. According to the stated plan, this process would continue until parliament is able to ratify its constitution for the Kurdistan Region, which would outline the official procedure for appointments to the post and the powers it would wield.

The regional presidency has been suspended since November 2017 when then-President Masoud Barzani announced he would end his already-extended term in the aftermath of the referendum on independence and as Kurdish parties failed to agree on a date for regional elections.

Since then, the powers of the president have been delegated to the prime minister, parliament speaker, and the regional judiciary.

Once a new president is elected, he would call upon the leading coalition to name its candidate for the premiership—for which the KDP has nominated the region’s incumbent security chief Masrour Barzani— who would then go on to form the future regional government. 

Editing by John J. Catherine