Iraqi MPs may soon be able to speak Kurdish in parliament
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Iraqi parliament is making preparations to allow lawmakers to speak Kurdish in the legislature, after an MP defended their right to use the language that is officially recognized in the constitution.
“I spoke Kurdish in a parliamentary session where I said it was my right to do so. And the speaker of the parliament asked how this could be resolved. I suggested that Kurdish interpreters be used,” Mohammed Shakir, an MP from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), told Rudaw.
Shakir said he was informed by the deputy speaker of the parliament that they are preparing space for Kurdish interpreters in the assembly.
Most Kurdish lawmakers in Baghdad speak Arabic, though not all are fluent in the language.
Arabic and Kurdish are Iraq’s official languages. Under the constitution, this means both languages can be equally used in official settings, including the parliament, cabinet, and courts. Education is available in both languages, as are government publications and bank notes, passports, and stamps.
Iraqis from minority communities also have the right to education in their mother tongues, like Turkmen, Assyrian, and Armenian.
“I spoke Kurdish in a parliamentary session where I said it was my right to do so. And the speaker of the parliament asked how this could be resolved. I suggested that Kurdish interpreters be used,” Mohammed Shakir, an MP from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), told Rudaw.
Shakir said he was informed by the deputy speaker of the parliament that they are preparing space for Kurdish interpreters in the assembly.
Most Kurdish lawmakers in Baghdad speak Arabic, though not all are fluent in the language.
Arabic and Kurdish are Iraq’s official languages. Under the constitution, this means both languages can be equally used in official settings, including the parliament, cabinet, and courts. Education is available in both languages, as are government publications and bank notes, passports, and stamps.
Iraqis from minority communities also have the right to education in their mother tongues, like Turkmen, Assyrian, and Armenian.