Decade-long standstill, Halabja province bill stuck in Iraqi parliament amid political turmoil

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - The draft bill has been in the Iraqi parliament for over 10 years, but it remains caught between legitimate truth and bitter politics.

Ten years after the Iraqi Council of Ministers approved the draft bill to make Halabja a province and sent it to the Council of Representatives, the bill remains stalled in parliament, oscillating between reality and politics. It has been put on the agenda several times but has yet to undergo its first reading.

In December 2013, the Kurdistan Regional Government, citing Articles 61 and 80 of the Constitution, delineated the administrative boundaries of the province and forwarded the bill to parliament, along with an official letter to the then Iraqi Prime Minister.

On February 5, 2015, the Kurdistan Parliament approved the bill to establish Halabja as a province for the first time.

In September of the same year, the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers requested the draft establishment of Halabja province be returned to the government, based on a new decision by the Iraqi Council of Ministers.

On March 13, 2023, the Iraqi government approved the bill to establish Halabja province and decided to send it back to parliament.

Although the bill has been on the agenda several times, it has not yet been discussed in parliament due to conflicts between Shiites and Sunnis. Additionally, in exchange for the governorship of Halabja, Shiites and Sunnis demand the governorship of several other towns.

The Iraqi parliament has adjourned sessions to vote on the bill to create Halabja province. Shiites are calling for the governorship of Faw, while Sunnis are calling for the governorship of Tal'Afar.

The bill consists of four articles. Article 1 pertains to the governorship of Halabja as the 19th Iraqi province, with Halabja as its center. According to Article 2, the Kurdistan Regional Council will determine the boundaries of the province's administrative units. However, the situation remains contentious.