Preparations underway to write Kurdistan Region’s constitution: Lawmaker

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Parliament has begun to consult with various political parties to prepare the first steps before writing a constitution for the autonomous Kurdistan Region, a parliamentary deputy said on Wednesday.

Muna Kahveci, the Second Deputy to the Parliamentary Speaker, said before the constitution writing begins, a new committee must be formed that represents all the political entities in the Kurdistan Region.

“We have already initiated talks with some of the political parties, and we will continue this process and make it a priority,” Kahveci told Kurdistan 24.

“The constitution will serve as a protection for the rights of the population, specifically the minorities and various ethnicities in Kurdistan.”

The legislature for the Kurdistan Region’s constitution was prepared in 2009. It consists of 122 articles but was never completed due to disagreements among Kurdish political parties.

According to Kurdish lawmakers from various factions, parliamentarians in Kurdistan want to complete the project by writing a constitution that includes participation and cooperation from all sides.

Parties in the current parliament believe that writing a modern constitution would reduce the political obstacles the Kurdistan Region faces in its system of governance.   

The Kurdistan Region has a unicameral legislature with 111 seats, five each reserved for Turkmen and Christian parties and one for an Armenian party.

In the September 2018 regional elections, the KDP won 45 seats to take first place, while the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) came in second with 21.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

(Additional reporting by Hoshmand Sadiq)