Kurdistan Region cabinet approves Reform Bill to be sent to lawmakers

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Wednesday, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Council of Ministers met under the supervision of the Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and approved a draft of the new Reform Bill to be submitted it to the regional parliament.

In the meeting, the council discussed the bill at length, 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."

Prime Minister Barzani explained that reform is a crucial and ongoing process and that the next phase will include all sectors.

“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.

After discussing each segment of the Reform Bill, the council implemented several amendments after the discussions.

During his inauguration speech on July 10, Barzani said in a statement that the ninth cabinet will be a government to serve the people, stating, “After working since September 2018 to put together a truly inclusive government, my commitment now is to work together with every party and every part of our nation to build a strong [KRG] that serves the people, not the other way around.”

The current cabinet, comprised of 21 ministers, was also approved by majority vote, Barzani, the former Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC), formed his new cabinet within the legal timeframe of 30 days after he was instructed to do so by President Nechirvan Barzani on June 12. 

Editing by John J. Catherine