Parliament holds first reading of bills on education and private universities; discusses salaries problem

Kurdistan Parliament Speaker Dr. Rewaz Faiq opened the sitting of 30 November, on the Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare, with a speech in which she said, “On this day in the name of the Kurdistan Parliament, may God rest the pure soul of all the martyrs of Kurdistan in Halabja, Balisan, Badinan, and all areas. We will hold a minute’s silence in their memory.”

Speaker Faiq welcomed the youth and civil society organisations who attended Parliament’s sitting.

The Legislative Committee conducted the first readings of the Bill on Education and Study in Kurdistan Region - Iraq, and of the first amendments to the Law on Private Universities in Kurdistan Region - Iraq, and Speaker Faiq directed the bills to the relevant committees and all MPs for further work and review.

Several MPs and parliamentary blocks raised the issue of the forced cuts to government salaries, the dire financial situation and the economic crisis, and Speaker Faiq asked the majority of MPs to vote on whether to add the subject as an additional item on the sitting’s order of business, which was voted through.

Deputy Speaker Hemin Hawrami presided over the final part of the sitting. Several MPs asked that the KRG’s negotiating team for the outstanding issues with Baghdad, including the financial disagreements and Kurdistan’s share of the Iraqi budget, appear to answer MPs’ questions in another Parliament sitting as soon as possible.”

Deputy Speaker Hawrami put the request to a vote, saying, “We ask you to vote now on whether Parliament should hold a sitting on the government salary problem and the negotiations with Baghdad, in the presence of the KRG’s negotiating team”. A majority of MPs’ voted in favour of the proposal.

Because of MPs' demand to discuss the salary problem, two other items on the order of business did not take place and were postponed: reports and discussion on youth emigration, in the presence of the relevant KRG ministers; and a speech by MP Shno Ashqi Abdullah (PUK) on providing job opportunities.