Kurdistan Referendum Council decides to re-activate Parliament in two weeks

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s High Council for Referendum on Sunday agreed to re-activate Parliament in the next two weeks.

The council, which consists of representatives of almost all the parties in the Kurdistan Region, met in Erbil with the participation of President Masoud Barzani, Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, and Vice-President Kosrat Rasul.

During the meeting, Handren Mohammed Saleh, the head of the Kurdistan Independent High Electoral and Referendum Commission (IHERC), said the commission was prepared for the referendum on Sep. 25, 2017.

The members of the council discussed the latest political developments in the Kurdistan Region and the reaction of the international community regarding the independence referendum.

President Barzani and Rasul will form a delegation to negotiate the referendum with Iraqi officials in Baghdad, according to the council’s statement.

Hemin Hawrami, a senior assistant to President Barzani and a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Leadership Council, said the meeting ended positively.

“Referendum committee meeting ended successfully. Parliament must convene in two weeks, delegation to Baghdad before Aug. 10,” he wrote on Twitter.

“All technical preparations are in place to hold the referendum in time [on] Sep. 25, 2017,” Hawrami added.

The decision to re-activate the Kurdistan Region Parliament in the upcoming two weeks is meant to resolve the issues in the Region and support the referendum.

The Parliament has been dismantled since the end of 2015 following political tension between the KDP and the Gorran (Change) Movement.

The council members also exchanged ideas about the assembly's body and secretary.

Kurdish officials have insisted on holding the referendum in September, stating there is no turning point toward independence.

Officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have repeatedly stated the people of Kurdistan are treated as second-class citizens in Iraq.

They have also pointed to Baghdad ignoring the Iraqi Constitution and marginalizing non-Shia components.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany