MPs elect Dr. Rewas Faiq Hussein new Speaker of Parliament

MPs on 11th July elected Dr. Rewas Faiq Hussein (PUK) as the new Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament.

Dr. Rewas Faiq's speech: 'A new era of partnership'

Dr. Faiq in her speech said that Kurdistan Region’s institutions must work together to overcome the economic problems of the past several years. She said that the political agreement between the coalition partners, the restoration of the Kurdistan Region President’s powers, and the formation of the new cabinet are important steps towards a new era of a partnership that must solve problems and meet the public’s demands.  

Speaker Faiq said that Parliament’s Presidency works for and is the umbrella for all the parliamentary parties, and that the Kurdistan Region needs financial and budgetary reform, transparency and measures to tackle corruption.

Per Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, the election of the Speaker is by secret ballot. Dr. Faiq was elected with 72 votes, out of a legislature of 111 MPs (100 were present).  MP Shadi Nawzad Wahab (New Generation) also put herself forward for the Speakership. She won 16 votes. Out of the 100 MPs at the sitting, 5 did not vote, and 9 ballot papers were blank.

Four new MPs take oath of office

At the same sitting, four new MPs took the oath of office. They replace MPs who have automatically relinquished their membership of parliament by taking ministerial positions in the new Kurdistan Regional Government cabinet. Lanja Ibrahim Abdulrahman (KDP) took the place of former Speaker, Dr. Vala Fareed Ibrahim; Shirin Younis Abdullah Aziz (PUK) took the place of Begard Talabani; Himdad Sabah Bilal (Turkmen Front) took the place of Aydin Marouf Salim; and Bapir Kamala Salman Kamala (Sardam, SocDem) took the place of Abdullah Haji Mahmud.

At first reading MPs vote in favour of resolution on 3 August 2014 as Yazidi Genocide Day

MPs voted at the first reading of a draft resolution on designating 3 August 2014 as Yazidi Genocide Remembrance Day. Sixty five (65) MPs had proposed the resolution. Ninety five (95) MPs voted in favour of working on the resolution urgently to pass it ahead of the anniversary.

Dr. Faiq said that as the draft resolution has budgetary implications, it must be discussed urgently with the Kurdistan Regional Government, and she asked the relevant committees to work on it this week. Per articles 79 (paragraph 4) and 92 of Parliament’s procedures, bills or draft resolutions that have implications for the government budget need special attention. Victims’ families would be entitled to financial compensation if the law is passed.     

Parliament condemns border shelling and air strikes in Sidekan and Pirenshar that killed one person and injured two 

Before the election of the new Speaker, Deputy Speaker Hemin Hawrami stated that the Kurdistan parliament condemns the artillery fire and air attacks on Sidekan and Piranshar on 10th July, which killed Zeytoun Qadir Chicho and wounded his brothers Ali and Sirwan. He expressed Parliament’s condolences to the victim’s family and hoped that his brothers make a speedy recovery. He said that the Kurdistan Parliament condemns any country that attacks Kurdistan Region and at the same time condemns any group, side or power that uses Kurdistan Region as a base to attack neighbouring states, with innocent people killed as result.