Politics

Kurdistan parliament sets Monday to begin study of KRG Reform Bill

The Kurdistan Region Parliament has scheduled a session for Monday to discuss the Reform Bill recently submitted by the government, an official statement from the legislature said on Thursday.

Kurdistan 24 2019/12/12 12:46

middle east KRG Erbil Reform Bill

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region Parliament has scheduled a session for Monday to discuss the Reform Bill recently submitted by the government, an official statement from the legislature said on Thursday.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) approved the bill during a cabinet session on Wednesday and sent it to parliament early on the following day.

The parliament statement added that lawmakers would meet to review a number of articles from the reform bill, which, according to the KRG, “includes a series of measures designed to provide more certainty and accountability on salaries, pensions and allowances for public servants.”

Speaking to Kurdistan 24 on Monday, a senior lawmaker explained that the bill requires weeks of careful study and deliberations before it can be voted on to become law.

“Parliament needs over a month because, after receiving the bill, the Legal Affairs Committee will start preparing a report on it,” Jalal Mohammed-Amin, a senior member of the parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee, said on Wednesday.

Following the committee's report, he added, the legislature would hold a session for a first reading of the bill and then seven specialized committees would dissect the bill for follow-up readings. “This requires time,” Mohammed-Amin concluded.

Prime Minister Barzani has said that reform is a crucial and ongoing process and that the next phase will be even more comprehensive.

“Since the takeover of KRG’s ninth cabinet, we promised to send this reform project to the parliament and this project is a joint effort with the participation of the political parties and all the sectors of the government as it serves the best interest of all sides to ensure the rights of qualified people,” he said.

All political parties in the government participated in drafting the bill, which Barzani asserted is a step forward in the public's interest.

Editing by John J. Catherine