Politics

Shia MPs plan to sack Kurdish MPs in Baghdad for voting ‘Yes’ in Kurdistan Referendum

A Kurdish lawmaker on Saturday revealed some Shia members of the Iraqi Parliament had suggested the Parliamentary Speaker put the sacking of Kurdish lawmakers in Baghdad to vote in the next session, in response to the Sep. 25 referendum.

Sangar Ali 2017/10/08 07:05

kurdistan Iraq Kurdistan Independence Referendum Erbil Baghdad Relations

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – A Kurdish lawmaker on Saturday revealed some Shia members of the Iraqi Parliament had suggested the Parliamentary Speaker put the sacking of Kurdish lawmakers in Baghdad to vote in the next session, in response to the Sep. 25 referendum.

The people of the Kurdistan Region on Sep. 25 held a referendum on independence, and almost 93 percent voted ‘Yes,’ with over 72 percent turnout. The vote was labeled “unconstitutional and illegal” by the Federal Government of Iraq.

“Iraq’s Parliamentary Legal Committee, with the support of the lawmakers close to Maliki [former Prime Minister of Iraq], have suggested voting to remove the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) members for voting ‘Yes’ in the referendum,” Shakhawan Abdulla, deputy head of the KDP faction in the Iraqi parliament, told Kurdistan 24.

“These chauvinist lawmakers are trying to dismiss Kurds from Baghdad permanently,” he said.

Abdulla mentioned he had already decided he would leave Baghdad permanently and return to the Kurdistan Region should Parliament chose to hold the vote, stating “I would feel proud to be dismissed for expressing my will.”

On Oct. 3, many Iraqi Shia lawmakers prevented Kurdish lawmakers in Baghdad from attending a Parliamentary session as punishment for their participation in the Sep. 25 referendum.

The Shia coalition collected 100 signatures asking the Iraqi Parliament’s leadership to prevent the Kurdish MPs from attending the session as a response to them publicly voting in favor of the “division of Iraq,” which they claim is a violation of the Constitution.

According to the Shia bloc, the Kurdish MPs should only be allowed to return to Parliament if they publicly renounce their vote and express regret for taking part in the vote.

Since Sep. 25, the Iraqi Federal Government and parliament have taken harsh measures against the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, including a flight ban, as punishment for the vote.

Editing by G.H. Renaud