Yesterday, the Kurdistan parliament in northern Iraq witnessed a violent fistfight between MPs from the Kurdistan Democratic Party and MPs from the Patriotic Union, over a dispute over electoral law. Representatives from the Democratic Party bloc believed that the lack of activation of the electoral system The Commission is an obstacle to the holding of parliamentary elections in time, according to the Iraqi network “Rudaw”.

Disagreement Over Electoral Commission and Minorities Seats in Parliament

The head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party bloc, Zana Mala Khaled, said in an interview with reporters that it was agreed to reactivate the Election Commission in its current formation with other blocks in Parliament, but also stressed that there are differences in relation to the number of seats assigned to minorities in Parliament, which is a staple and source of disagreement between the two governing democratic parties and the National Union.

Illegal Inclusion on Agenda Causes Controversy

To unleash the controversy up to the intertwining of hands in Parliament, is “the inclusion on the agenda of yesterday’s session of a point to reactivate the Electoral Commission”, a step that the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan has deemed “illegal”, given that the internal regulations of Parliament require the communication of any new items on the agenda Session work, at least 24 hours before the start of the session.

Postponed Elections Prompt Extension of Mandate

Parliamentary elections were postponed last year in the Kurdistan region of Iraq due to differences between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan over the current electoral law, which prompted the legislator to extend its mandate a year, with elections to be held on 18 November.