SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) faction in the Kurdistan Region parliament seeks to evolve the steps and brings the factions’ consent over drafting a constitution for the Region, an MP on Saturday said.
Abas Fatah, the deputy of the legal committee in the Kurdistan Region Parliament has revealed that the issue of drafting a constitution became an extremely crucial matter inside the Region’s political process.
“PUK seeks to evolve the steps on that matter, through the parliament by bringing parties’ consent to pass the phase,” Fatah told Esta Media Network in a phone conversation.
Fatah further said, for that reason, all efforts have been made to reach an outcome about that matter.
“The speaker of the Kurdistan Region parliament has paid visits to all parties to bring their consents,” He said.
“One of the PUK’s slogans during election campaigns was that the Kurdistan Region must have its constitution. And now it’s trying to fulfill its pledge, looking for talks with parties,” He added.
The Kurdistan Region has a drafted constitution since 2009, written by academics and legal experts but never passed in the parliament over disputes among parties for certain articles.
Kurdish political parties have been struggling to agree on a constitution since then. Therefore the Region heavily relies on the Iraqi constitution.
On Wednesday, Parliament Speaker Rewaz fayaq met President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party Masoud Barzani (KDP).
The pair discussed the necessity to build coordination and unanimity between the political parties and social components of the Kurdistan Region to draft a constitution.
The Kurdistan Region parliament is expected to hold a session this week, aiming at discussing the ways to draft the constitution and reach an agreement on it, according to Fahath’s words.
The talks over the drafting of a constitution are at a time when the Kurdistan Region shall host the parliamentary election on October 1st this year, according to a decree signed by President of the Region Nechirvan Barzani early this year.
The Region held parliamentary elections in September 2018. Parliamentary elections are held every four years in the Kurdistan Region.
A minimum quota of 30% of seats in the 111-seat house is reserved for women and 11 seats for parties representing minorities.
“Every reasonable individual knows that the election will not take place on October 1,” Parliament speaker Fayaq in early September said.
“We have made 11 meetings either directly or indirectly with the political parties, but they have failed to reach an agreement,” She said. “Parties’ failure to reach an agreement and the postponement of the election are unjustifiable,” She added.
