Iraq's Top Court Rejects Suits to Dissolve Kurdistan Parliament
Iraq's Federal Supreme Court rejects two lawsuits to dissolve the Kurdistan Parliament, ruling the matter is outside its jurisdiction. The decision upholds the results of the October 2024 election.
By Kamaran Aziz
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq’s highest judicial body on Monday dismissed two lawsuits seeking the dissolution of the Kurdistan Parliament, ruling that the contentious issue falls outside its constitutional jurisdiction and thereby upholding the legitimacy of the recently elected legislative body.
The Federal Supreme Court of Iraq convened on Monday to consider the two legal challenges, which were filed separately by Srwa Abdulwahid, a member of the New Generation bloc in the Iraqi Parliament, and Omar Gulpi, a member of the Kurdistan Parliament’s sixth term.
In a concise statement following the session, the Federal Supreme Court announced the definitive rejection of the two lawsuits. The court noted that "a decision on the issue is not within the court's jurisdiction," effectively ending the legal bid to invalidate the parliament.
The court’s decision comes just months after the Kurdistan Region held its parliamentary elections for the sixth term on Oct. 20, 2024. That election saw a significant and robust democratic exercise, with a reported voter participation rate of more than 70 percent across the Kurdistan Region.
The results of that election established the current political landscape of the parliament that the lawsuits had sought to dismantle. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) emerged as the dominant political force, securing 39 seats with a total of 812,537 votes.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) became the second-largest party in the legislature, obtaining 23 seats with 409,548 votes. The New Generation Movement, the party to which plaintiff Srwa Abdulwahid belongs, secured a significant presence, winning 15 seats with 292,032 votes, making it the third-largest bloc.
Several other parties also gained representation in the parliament. The Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) won 7 seats with 117,564 votes, while the Kurdistan Justice Group (KJG) secured 3 seats with 64,874 votes. The newly formed Halwest (Stance) Movement obtained 4 seats with 56,008 votes.
Smaller parties rounding out the legislature include the People's Front, which won 2 seats with 33,466 votes, and the Gorran (Change) Movement, which received 1 seat with 11,641 votes. The Kurdistan Region Alliance also secured a single seat with 12,929 votes. An additional five seats in the parliament are designated for component quotas. The Kurdistan Islamic Movement (KIM) received 5,503 votes but did not secure a seat in the final tally.
With the Federal Supreme Court’s ruling that it lacks the authority to intervene, the legal challenge against the Kurdistan Parliament’s sixth term has been concluded, leaving the elected body to continue its legislative mandate as established by the October 2024 vote.
