SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Kurdistan Parliament Speaker Rewaz Fayaq said on Sunday the Kurdistan Region is not Sweden where the parliament can decide on issues occur in the country, as the Region is preparing to hold a parliamentary election in October.
Fayaq said during a panel on the Kurdistan Region’s future elections in Erbil that majority of the parliamentary blocs agreed to hold a multi-constituency election, particularly “four constituencies”.
In February, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani set October 1 as the date for parliamentary elections in the Region.
The political parties now want to amend the electoral law and reactivate the Independent High Electoral and Referendum Commission in the Kurdistan Region.
Fayaq said most of the parliamentary blocs agreed to amend the electoral law then reactivate the electoral commission, but the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the New Generation wanted the commission to be reactivated first.
“The New Generation has changed its stance recently and wants the electoral commission to be reactivated first,” she said.
She further said the Region’s presidency and the government had completed their responsibilities but the political responsibilities remain.
“Is the situation appropriate for the parliament to decide on the elections alone while elections are a political issue,” she added.
“I am not the speaker of Swedish parliament and the Kurdistan Region is not Sweden until the parliament decides on those issues.”
