KDP accuses PUK, New Generation of paralyzing Kurdistan parliament

Shafaq News- Erbil

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Wednesday accused the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the New Generation Movement (NGM) of paralyzing the Kurdistan Region's parliament for two years, hailing the legislature's first full session since 2024 as a necessary, if overdue, step to protect the constitutional institutions.

Reviving parliament is not aimed at any person or party, KDP spokesman Mahmoud Mohammed said, urging the other blocs to help safeguard the legitimacy.

Earlier on Wednesday, lawmakers elected the KDP's Vala Fareed as speaker, Ramy Noori Syawish, a representative of the Christian community, as deputy speaker, and Muna Nabi Nader, a representative of the Turkmen community, as secretary, with 52 votes in the 100-seat chamber. The parliament's oldest member, from New Generation, declined to chair the session and was replaced by another lawmaker.

The KDP entered the session with 39 seats and needed support from lawmakers outside its bloc to reach the 51 votes required for an absolute majority.

Several lawmakers from parties that had announced boycotts broke ranks and attended, including members elected on the PUK, New Generation, and National Stance Movement lists. Some had already declared themselves independent or severed ties with their parties.

The vote ended a deadlock that had kept the legislature from electing a leadership since the October 20, 2024, election, in which the KDP won 39 seats and the PUK 23. Rivalry between the two main parties has also blocked the formation of a new government, leaving Prime Minister Masrour Barzani's outgoing cabinet in office.

Fareed, the first woman to lead the Kurdistan Region's parliament, previously held the post after being elected in 2019, also amid a PUK boycott.

Read more: Kurdistan’s 10th cabinet: Interlocking alliances and persistent differences