Kurdistan Judicial Council instructs new MPs to hold first session on Tuesday

The Judicial Council of the Kurdistan Region on Sunday ordered newly elected lawmakers to hold their first parliamentary session on Nov. 6.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Judicial Council of the Kurdistan Region on Sunday ordered newly elected lawmakers to hold their first parliamentary session on Nov. 6.

In a statement released on Nov. 4, the council instructed lawmakers to attend the inaugural session of the new parliament on Tuesday, scheduled to be held at 12:00 pm local time.

According to the Constitution of Iraq, the eldest legislator will chair the first parliamentary session to elect a new speaker.

Kurdistan’s parliamentary election kicked off on Sep. 30 for over three million voters, the first regional election since the defeat of the so-called Islamic State (IS).

On Tuesday, the Judicial Council approved the results of the election, initiating the process for newly-elected MPs to hold their first meeting.

“After reviewing all the complaints by parties in the parliamentary election… the council of judges approved the results of the election for each party and candidate,” the Judicial Council statement read.

On Oct. 20, the Kurdistan Region’s Independent High Election and Referendum Commission (IHERC) announced the final result of the vote.

According to the result, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which led the 2017 independence referendum, won the election with a significant margin, gaining 688,070 votes. The party secured 45 seats in the Region’s 111-seat parliament.

Ahead of the elections, the KDP was the largest faction in the Kurdistan Region’s Parliament with 38 seats. After the 2018 election, the party won seven additional seats.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) came in second, securing 21 seats with 319,912 votes, followed by Gorran with 186,903 votes and 12 seats.

New Generation won eight seats, the Kurdistan Islamic Group (KIG) won seven, and Toward Reform Coalition won five. Sardam and Azadi (Freedom) won one seat each.

Among the Kurdistan Region’s minority groups, the Turkmen and Christian parties each secured five seats, and the Armenian party secured one. In total, minorities have 11 quota seats in the Kurdistan Parliament.

Editing by Nadia Riva