The Iraqi parliament decided Nov. 3 to form a temporary committee to propose amendments to the Iraqi Constitution. The move is a bid to meet the demands of protesters, who have taken to the streets across Iraq since October to call for radical reforms, including amending the constitution and the resignation of the current government.

The semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq is worried the amendments will seek to terminate its constitutional federal status, which could lead to its loss of the disputed and oil-rich city of Kirkuk.

“Any constitutional amendments must be in accordance to the law," Masoud Barzani, the president of the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party, tweeted Nov. 2. "Should there be any changes, they cannot be at the cost of any concessions to the principles of democracy nor can they undermine the rights of the Kurds and other components within Iraq."

Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), echoed similar concerns during an Oct. 31 speech in Erbil. Iraqi President Barham Salih, who is a Kurd, visited Erbil Nov. 5 and attended a meeting with the KRG's president, parliamentary speaker and prime minister to discuss the forthcoming amendments to Iraq's constitution.