KDP Urges Kurdish Parties to Resume Kurdistan Region Parliament Sessions

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) parliamentary bloc on Thursday urged all political factions in the Kurdistan Region Parliament to take steps toward resuming legislative sessions, reaffirming its readiness to reactivate the legislature after months of political deadlock.

Speaking at a press conference outside the parliament building, Mard Ali Khala, a KDP member of the Kurdistan Region Parliament, said the responsibility for reactivating the legislature rests with the New Generation Movement, whose member holds the position of parliament speaker following the opening session.

“We call on them to be ready to resume sessions. We are prepared to reactivate the Kurdistan Region Parliament and urge all blocs that have nominated candidates for the presidency of parliament to attend a session to elect the parliamentary leadership,” Khala said.

He added that the KDP bloc remained committed to reaching a political agreement among the parties to enable parliament to resume its work.

“Unfortunately, there have been no new developments regarding the formation of the Kurdistan Region's new cabinet,” Khala said, adding that New Generation was no longer in the opposition after announcing an alliance with a political party that is part of the government.

Khala stressed that parliament is the institution responsible for representing the people's voice and advancing the legislative process. He said the KDP, which holds the largest number of seats in the legislature, remained open to cooperation with all parties willing to take steps toward resuming parliamentary sessions.

He also noted that no formal alliance had been announced so far.

Two days earlier, marking the second anniversary of the 2024 parliamentary elections, the KDP parliamentary bloc issued a statement calling for the immediate reactivation of parliament, the election of its leadership, and the fulfillment of its legal and historic responsibilities. The bloc said these duties should not be held hostage to political disputes.

The sixth-term Kurdistan Region Parliament elections were held under the supervision of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission on October 20, 2024.

The elections were held across four electoral constituencies under a multi-constituency system, with political parties and components competing for 100 parliamentary seats, down from the previous 111. Biometric voter cards and electronic voting and ballot-counting systems were used for the first time.

According to official commission figures, 2,087,972 people voted out of 2,899,578 eligible voters, representing a turnout of 72 percent.

The continued political impasse has delayed the formation of the Kurdistan Region's new cabinet and left the parliament's leadership and legislative work at the center of ongoing political negotiations.