KDP, Gorran submit presidency bill, but PUK says it’s a 'wrong step'
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region —The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Change Movement (Gorran) parties submitted a bill on Thursday with 68 signatures to amend the contentious presidency law that calls for parliament to elect the president, not via a public vote.
Parliament leadership is calling on all MPs to reconvene on Saturday.
"Within the framework of agreements struck between the KDP and Gorran and other sides to ramp up steps to form the government and reactivating the presidency … a bill to amend the presidency law and the mechanism of electing the president — until the Kurdistan constitution [officially] is drafted — was submitted with 68 signatures," Umed Khoshnaw, the head of the KDP bloc, said in a press conference.
The bill has eight articles, including measures to restore to the presidency all the powers that were distributed over the parliament, government, and judiciary when former president Masoud Barzani’s term ended in November 2017, Khoshnaw revealed.
The president will retain all powers and functions “until the ratification of the constitution of Kurdistan-Iraq, in which the method for election of the Region’s president and its authorities are determined,” read the bill, a copy of which Rudaw obtained.
The parliament will open nominations for the president within 30 days of the election of the legislature’s presidency board. Candidates will have three days to nominate themselves for the position.
Two days after the nomination window is closed, the names of candidates who meet the necessary criteria will be announced. Individuals who were excluded for failing to meet the criteria can appeal the decision within two days and the appellate court will have another two days to settle the issue. The court’s ruling will be conclusive.
Three days after any possible court rulings – twelve days after opening nominations – parliament will vote in an open ballot and the president will be elected with an absolute majority, the bill proposed. If no candidate wins in the first round, then the two people who secured the most votes will take part in a run-off second round.
Previously, the president was in office for a four-year term. The bill submitted on Thursday proposes that the president’s term ends with that of the parliament.
The KDP and Gorran struck a government formation deal on February 16.
Gorran bloc head Ali Hama Salih said at the conference “what was really important for us was that we wanted the president to be elected by MPs, not through a popular vote. And that it is fixed in the bill."
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the New Generation, the Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal) and the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) did not sign the bill. All were present. The PUK bloc walked out.
The bill came on the heels of another failed round of talks between the KDP and PUK to strike a deal on government formation.
The KDP won the most seats (45) in the election, but not an outright majority so it needs a coalition in order to govern. It has struck a deal with Gorran that finished third in the election with 12 seats. Together they have an absolute majority in the 111-seat legislative body.
The KDP and PUK signed a four-year political agreement in early March, but it lacked specifics on power-sharing.
Rewaz Fayaq, a PUK MP, told Rudaw the presidency matter has a "national dimension" and it should have been settled between all parties.
"We had a failed experience in the past when the parties tried to individually raise bills and petitions to amend the presidency," Fayaq said, recounting "in the past the KDP thought that the presidency matter had a political, constitutional and national dimension. It has to be settled between all the parties, not each individual party trying to amend it alone. We are now of the view, which the KDP had been calling for in the past, is now what we ask for."
The matter of presidency has been the point of contention between the Kurdish sides. Previously, Gorran and PUK maintained the position that the presidency law should be amended and the president be elected by parliament. The KDP, however, was opposed to the idea.
Fayaq said their MPs will not attend any parliamentary session, adding they will enter when they are told by their superiors.
Luqman Wardi, another PUK MP, described the bill as a "wrong step" made in the absence of his party.
"We will have reactions," he told Rudaw, without elaborating.
Referring in particular to the PUK, Khoshnaw said: "We really wanted all sides to join in, but others opted not to. We thought we were very late…”
He revealed they will require two weeks to finish the process.
Updated at 8:55 pm
Parliament leadership is calling on all MPs to reconvene on Saturday.
"Within the framework of agreements struck between the KDP and Gorran and other sides to ramp up steps to form the government and reactivating the presidency … a bill to amend the presidency law and the mechanism of electing the president — until the Kurdistan constitution [officially] is drafted — was submitted with 68 signatures," Umed Khoshnaw, the head of the KDP bloc, said in a press conference.
The bill has eight articles, including measures to restore to the presidency all the powers that were distributed over the parliament, government, and judiciary when former president Masoud Barzani’s term ended in November 2017, Khoshnaw revealed.
The president will retain all powers and functions “until the ratification of the constitution of Kurdistan-Iraq, in which the method for election of the Region’s president and its authorities are determined,” read the bill, a copy of which Rudaw obtained.
The parliament will open nominations for the president within 30 days of the election of the legislature’s presidency board. Candidates will have three days to nominate themselves for the position.
Two days after the nomination window is closed, the names of candidates who meet the necessary criteria will be announced. Individuals who were excluded for failing to meet the criteria can appeal the decision within two days and the appellate court will have another two days to settle the issue. The court’s ruling will be conclusive.
Three days after any possible court rulings – twelve days after opening nominations – parliament will vote in an open ballot and the president will be elected with an absolute majority, the bill proposed. If no candidate wins in the first round, then the two people who secured the most votes will take part in a run-off second round.
Previously, the president was in office for a four-year term. The bill submitted on Thursday proposes that the president’s term ends with that of the parliament.
The KDP and Gorran struck a government formation deal on February 16.
Gorran bloc head Ali Hama Salih said at the conference “what was really important for us was that we wanted the president to be elected by MPs, not through a popular vote. And that it is fixed in the bill."
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the New Generation, the Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal) and the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) did not sign the bill. All were present. The PUK bloc walked out.
The bill came on the heels of another failed round of talks between the KDP and PUK to strike a deal on government formation.
The KDP won the most seats (45) in the election, but not an outright majority so it needs a coalition in order to govern. It has struck a deal with Gorran that finished third in the election with 12 seats. Together they have an absolute majority in the 111-seat legislative body.
But PUK-KDP cooperation is crucial as the Kurdistan Region is politically divided the two, particularly over control of security forces.
The KDP and PUK signed a four-year political agreement in early March, but it lacked specifics on power-sharing.
Rewaz Fayaq, a PUK MP, told Rudaw the presidency matter has a "national dimension" and it should have been settled between all parties.
"We had a failed experience in the past when the parties tried to individually raise bills and petitions to amend the presidency," Fayaq said, recounting "in the past the KDP thought that the presidency matter had a political, constitutional and national dimension. It has to be settled between all the parties, not each individual party trying to amend it alone. We are now of the view, which the KDP had been calling for in the past, is now what we ask for."
The matter of presidency has been the point of contention between the Kurdish sides. Previously, Gorran and PUK maintained the position that the presidency law should be amended and the president be elected by parliament. The KDP, however, was opposed to the idea.
Fayaq said their MPs will not attend any parliamentary session, adding they will enter when they are told by their superiors.
The KDP and PUK have almost reached a deadlock in their talks about the latter's share in the new government, but argue about the distribution of government posts.
Luqman Wardi, another PUK MP, described the bill as a "wrong step" made in the absence of his party.
"We will have reactions," he told Rudaw, without elaborating.
Referring in particular to the PUK, Khoshnaw said: "We really wanted all sides to join in, but others opted not to. We thought we were very late…”
He revealed they will require two weeks to finish the process.