MPs unanimously vote in amendments to Law on Ownership of Illegally Used Land in Municipalities
MPs of the Kurdistan Parliament on 4 December had a sitting to vote on amendments to the recently passed Law on the Ownership of Illegally Used Land in Municipalities in the Kurdistan Region, which was passed on 30 October and returned to Parliament by the Presidency of the Region.
The Presidency of the Kurdistan Region, President Nechirvan Barzani, returned the Law to Parliament at the request of the KRG Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism which asked for improvements to the law. The comments from the Presidency focused on changing some terminology. MPs voted in favour of each amendment individually, and voted unanimously in favour of the law as a whole.
The President of the Kurdistan Region enacts laws passed by Parliament, and has the right to return a law to Parliament once only.
First reading of Bill on Narcotics and Dealers and Users of Narcotics
The Legislative Committee read for the first time the Bill on Narcotics and the Dealers and Users of Narcotics in the Kurdistan Region – Iraq. Parliament’s Presidency directed the bill to the relevant committees for more study and work.
Speaker summarises legislative business in spring and autumn sessions
Parliament Speaker Dr. Rewas Faiq said that in Parliament’s spring session three bills had their first reading, and in the autumn session 21 bills had their first reading. Five laws and resolutions have been passed, and out of 150 questions put to the government, 86 questions were answered.
The Speaker clarified some key issues raised by MPs regarding the legislative process, committees’ affairs and questioning the government.
MP Lanja Dizayee on commemorating World Genocide Remembrance Day
The third item on the Order of Business (agenda) was a presentation by MP Lanja Dizayee on the need to respect and commemorate World Genocide Remembrance Day. Ms. Dizayee reminded the MPs of the importance of the Remembrance Day and described the crimes and genocides committed by successive Iraqi regimes against the Kurdistani people.
Ms. Dizayee said that commemorating World Genocide Remembrance Day should encourage us to press the international community for recognition of the crimes against the Kurdistani people by successive Iraqi governments, and the recent crimes committed by ISIS, as genocide and crimes against humanity.
The MP added that the Iraqi government should do more to help return the bodies of those who were killed in the Ba’ath regime’s Anfal campaign.
Bill on Commercial Advertising
The Order of Business included the second reading of the Bill on Commercial Advertising in the Kurdistan Region. The KRG Minister of Trade and Industry, Kamal Muslim Saeed, asked for more time to discuss the bill, so the Speaker decided to postpone the reading to 10 December and asked the legislative and other relevant committees to discuss the bill with the Ministry and work on it.
Deputy Speaker Hemin Hawrami and Secretary Muna Kahveci also attended the sitting.
