Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court in late May ruled against the Kurdistan Region’s parliament decision to extend its term by an additional year, declaring that the term of the legislature had ended and that the self-extension was unconstitutional.
All decisions and laws issued by the Kurdish parliament after its legal deadline had surpassed were also declared null and void by the Iraqi top court.
“Today, the fifth term of the Kurdistan parliament officially came to an end, and letters will be written for all the MPs that will be retired according to the law,” the parliament’s Second Deputy Speaker Muna Kahveci told Rudaw on Sunday.
A total of seven lawmakers from the term have refused to accept their retirement pensions, comprising of three former Gorran MPs and four New Generation Movement (NGM) MPs, according to Hiwa Nasraddin, deputy chief of the Diwan of parliament.
The fifth term of the Kurdish parliament passed 46 bills and 49 decisions since commencing its duties in 2019. Six bills and 11 decisions were approved following the self-extension in October and have therefore been nullified.
The Kurdistan Region's Parliamentary Speaker Rewaz Fayaq on Sunday bid farewell to the legislature’s employees and staff.
ئەمڕۆ ٢-٧-٢٠٢٣، لە کۆتایی ئەرکمان وەک سەرۆکی خولی پێنجەمی پەرلەمانی کوردستان، ماڵئاواییمان لە ڕاوێژکاران و فەرمانبەران و پۆلیس و پاسەوانانی پەرلەمانی کرد، سوپاسمان کردن بۆ پەرۆشی و ماندبوونیان. pic.twitter.com/QQEdqNbxOh
— Dr.Rewaz Faeq (@Rewaz_faeq) July 2, 2023
A new parliamentary election was set to be held in October 2022, but disagreements between Kurdish political parties over the current elections law and the electoral commission prevented the process from being conducted on its scheduled time and pushed the legislature to extend its four-year term for an additional year.
With Kurdish lawmakers having failed to reactivate the regional electoral commission before the self-extension and all decisions from the parliament thereafter declared null by the Supreme Court, the Iraqi federal electoral commission has been tasked with carrying out the poll.
The Iraqi electoral body is currently preparing for Iraq-wide provincial elections later this year and has repeatedly stated that it would not be able to hold both elections in close proximity.
Iraqi provincial council elections are set for December 18, while the Kurdistan Region's parliamentary elections were initially scheduled for November 18.
