Iraqi Kurdish Parties Dispute Law Extending Barzani Presidency
Due to its general disregard for the internal bylaws of the Iraqi Kurdistan region’s parliament, members of President Massoud Barzani’s party and the opposition both have objected to a law extending his term.
The Iraqi Kurdistan parliament ratified two laws that will extend the term of Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani by two years and extend the current parliamentary session for two months. This comes amid signs of an objection to the decision by the three main Kurdish opposition forces — the Movement for Change, the Islamic Group and the Kurdistan Islamic Union — who are talking of ways to pressure the government in case the laws go into force, including organizing demonstrations against Mr. Barzani.
The Iraqi Kurdistan parliament’s regular session on June 30, 2013 devolved into physical fighting, with members of the three opposition blocs attacking the parliament speaker with water bottles.
The opposition forces in the Iraqi Kurdistan parliament control 35 out of 111 seats — 25 for the Movement for Change, four for the Islamic Group and six for the Islamic Union. This is compared to the 59 seats of the Kurdish bloc, which represents the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Barzani, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), led by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.
The number of opposition MPs do not constitute the quorum required to reject the laws, whereas the Kurdish bloc was able to do so, given that laws are ratified after the approval of a two-thirds majority of MPs.
