Iraqi Federal Court deems extension of Kurdistan Parliamentary term unconstitutional

BAGHDAD / ERBIL — The Federal Court of Iraq has declared the 2022 decision to extend the term of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament (IKP) for one year as unconstitutional, stating that it undermines the principles of democracy within the country.

Consequently, the 5th session of the IKP has officially concluded, as the legally stipulated period for its operation has expired. From a constitutional perspective, any decisions made by the IKP after this period will be deemed null and void by the national government.

The court’s ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) representatives challenging the extension of the parliament’s term.

The Head of the Court emphasized that all decisions issued by the IKP since the extension of its mandate in October of last year are considered invalid.

The IKP, comprising 111 seats, had extended its session for an additional year, leading to the postponement of the scheduled elections due to political disagreements among the various parties regarding the division of electoral districts.

However, the parties have now reached an agreement to hold the elections on 18 November.