Parliament amends Law on Integrity Commission and two other laws, passes Law on Honours and Medals

The Kurdistan Parliament at the 7 September 2021 sitting voted on some changes to Parliament committee members, passed amendments to laws on the Integrity Commission, on Chambers of Commerce and Industry and on the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, with the latter two amendments aimed at changing the company registration process. They also passed the Law on Honours and Medals.

Deputy Speaker Dr. Hemin Hawrami presided over the sitting in Speaker Rewaz Faiq’s absence, with Secretary Muna Kahveci alongside him.

MPs voted in favour of the following changes to Parliament’s standing committee memberships:

• Relations and Kurdish Diaspora Committee: Resignations of Ziyad Jabbar Muhammad (PUK) and Balen Ismaeel Haji (Change).
• Municipalities, Communication, Transport and Tourism Committee: Resignation of Zekri Zebari (PUK), and selection of Shirin Younis Abdullah (PUK) to join the committee.
• Interior, Security and Local Councils Committee: Resignation of Hawre Bna Muhammad (Mala Star; PUK), and selection of Zekri Zebari (PUK) to join the committee.
• Committee for the Protection of Women's Rights: Resignation of Shirin Younis Abdullah (PUK).
• Integrity Committee: Resignation of Shirin Amin Abdulaziz (Change) as chair and member, and selection of of Balen Ismail Haji (Change) to join the committee.

The legislative and integrity committees held the third reading of the second amendments to the Law on the Integrity Commission in Kurdistan Region – Iraq (Law No. 3 of 2011) and MPs voted on each article, on the title of the law, on its purpose and on the bill as a whole. The bill was passed with 74 votes in favour.

Then MPs held the third readings and votes on these bills:

• Bill on Second Amendments to the Law on the Integrity Commission of the Kurdistan Region – Iraq (Law No. 3 of 2011).
• Bill on Honours and Medals in the Kurdistan Region-Iraq.
• Bill on Second Amendments to the Law on the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Kurdistan Region - Iraq (Law No. 14 of 1993).
• Bill on First Amendments to the Law on the Ministry of Trade and Industry in the Kurdistan Region – Iraq (Law No. 10 of 2010).

The latter two amendments are aimed at changing the company registration process and regulations in Kurdistan Region.

Dr. Bizhar Kochar (KDP) the chair of the Legislative Committee, at the sitting performed some of the duties of the Secretary of Parliament, because of Speaker Faiq’s absence to bid farewall to the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Deputy Speaker Hawrami said that according to Parliamentary custom the chair of the Legislative Committee can perform the Secretary’s role in such situations, and asked MPs to vote on whether he could fulfill this role at this sitting. The MPs voted in favour.