Iraq’s Supreme Court postpones hearing on lawsuits over Kurdistan parliament — Asharq Al-Awsat
Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court has postponed until October 26 the consideration of two lawsuits challenging the continued legitimacy of the parliament and government of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The lawsuits concern the dissolution of the regional parliament and restrictions on the government’s powers amid a political deadlock, Asharq Al-Awsat reports.
Lawsuits over parliament and government
The lawsuits were initiated by former Kurdistan Parliament member Ali Hama Salih. The first concerns the constitutionality of the parliament’s continued operation after it was unable to perform legislative functions following its first session in January 2025. The second seeks to limit the regional government’s mandate to caretaker status, which would prevent it from making strategic decisions, concluding long-term contracts, and undertaking legal obligations.
Parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan Region were held in October 2024. The Kurdistan Democratic Party, led by Masoud Barzani, won 39 of the 100 seats. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, led by Bafel Talabani, won 23 seats, while the New Generation movement secured 15. The newly elected parliament convened only once and has yet to elect a permanent speaker or pave the way for the formation of a new regional government.
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Call to restore parliament’s work
Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Masrour Barzani, during a ceremony marking the start of the 2026–2027 academic year in Erbil, called on lawmakers to end their boycott of sessions. According to him, restoring the parliament’s work is the “first and necessary step” toward forming a new regional government.
Barzani also stated that weapons outside the control of the state, government, and legitimate institutions must be disarmed. Armed groups link their own disarmament to extending such a decision to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and placing them under the command of Iraq’s commander-in-chief rather than the regional government. Kurdish authorities reject this demand, citing Article 121(5) of Iraq’s constitution on the powers of regional authorities to establish and organize internal security forces.
Kurdistan Democratic Party spokesperson Mahmoud Mohammed said that serious and intensive negotiations with political forces were underway. He noted that meetings between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan would continue without public disclosure, and that the restoration of parliamentary activity and the formation of a new government would depend on their outcome.
