BAGHDAD – MPs from three Kurdish parties have returned to Baghdad, a lawmaker told Rudaw on Sunday, but it was unclear whether that meant the Iraqi parliament is getting set to resume work following weeks of political paralysis. Khasraw Goran, an MP in the Iraqi parliament from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), said that lawmakers from his party as well as the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Change Movement (Gorran) had returned to Baghdad. “So far, it is not clear whether or not a parliament session will take place,” Gorran said. The government of Prime Minister Haidar Abadi has remained virtually paralyzed following weekly protests since April 30, when thousands stormed the parliament building and forced the legislature to shut down. Since then, Abadi has been facing protests every weekend, as he tries to persuade MPs to return to their duties. Kurdish MPs returned to the Kurdistan Region in the wake of the first protests. The Iraqi parliament remains divided on several issues, including a faction demanding that Salim al Jabouri step down as speaker. Kurdish MPs have said they have remained away because they have seen no progress on Kurdish issues in their time in the Iraqi parliament.
