KRI Elections: Parliament structure and function
Francesca Maria Lorenzini | Oct. 14, 2024
The Kurdish Parliament, based in Erbil, is the legislative body of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
This unicameral parliament, which was originally named the Kurdish National Assembly, underwent a significant change in 2009 when it was renamed the Kurdish Parliament following an amendment to the Kurdistan Election Law of 1992.
The Parliament is supposed to meet twice a year for four-month sessions. It’s organized into specialized committees covering areas such as legal affairs, education, finance, and culture.
Legislative proposals and bills can be introduced either through the Regional Council of Ministers or by the endorsement of ten individual members.
The Kurdish Parliament's core functions include examining new laws, overseeing government policies, and debating major issues affecting the region.
A Brief History of the Iraqi Kurdistan’s Parliament
Following the 1991 Gulf War, the US, UK, and France imposed a no-fly zone above the 36th parallel to protect Kurdish civilians from Iraqi military attacks.
Meanwhile, Saddam Hussein withdrew his forces from the region and imposed an internal embargo, further exacerbating the hardships by cutting off food, fuel and power supplies. This led many refugees returning to Kurdistan, where a security zone was established on the ground.
In response to the administrative vacuum and dual embargo, the Kurdistan Front—a coalition of Kurdish political groups—organized the region’s first parliamentary election on May 19, 1992.
The election led to the formation of the Kurdistan National Assembly (now the Kurdish Parliament) and the Kurdistan Regional Government and was marked by high voter turnout and praised for its fairness by international observers.
The Kurdistan National Assembly convened on July 15, 1992, and passed Law No. 1, officially establishing it as the region’s legislative body.
The Quota System
The Parliament historically comprised 111 members, with 11 seats reserved for non-Kurdish minority communities like Assyrians, Armenians, and Turkmen.
In February 2024, Iraq’s Supreme Court the Parliament's structure changed in February 2024. Iraq's Supreme Court initially annulled the reserved seats stating they were unconstitutional, cutting the total number of seats to 100.
Five seats were reallocated in May as some minority parties said they would boycott the upcoming Kurdistan parliamentary elections.
Per the previous quota system, Turkmens had five seats, Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Syriacs five, and Armenians one.
After the high court’s ruling, five minority seats will be distributed across the Erbil, Duhok, and Sulaimani Governorates.
Erbil and Sulaymaniyah will each receive one seat for the Christian and Turkmen components, while Duhok’s seat will be given to the Armenians.
Following the court ruling, a coalition of six Assyrian, Chaldean, and Syriac Christian parties accused the region’s ruling parties—the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)—of manipulating the minority quota system for their own benefit, leading to the Iraqi federal court’s decision to eliminate the reserved seats.