Peregraf
The Iraqi parliament voted today to approve the bill to make Halabja a province, officially designating it as Iraq's 19th province. Halabja has held the status of a province within the Kurdistan Region for 11 years but had not received full recognition from Iraq until now.
Today’s session of the Iraqi Parliament convened with the attendance of 178 members. Under the first agenda item, the bill to elevate Halabja to the status of a governorate was put to a vote and subsequently approved. This outcome followed persistent efforts and sustained pressure by the Kurdish political factions to secure the bill’s passage, as it had been introduced on four previous occasions without being brought to a vote.
To advance their demand, the Kurdish factions resorted to a boycott strategy, refusing to participate in parliamentary sessions unless the bill was ratified. As a result, the proceedings of the Iraqi Parliament had been stalled for several weeks. Today, however, the bill was formally enacted, fulfilling a longstanding demand of the people of Halabja for official recognition as a governorate.
With a population of over 120,000, Halabja comprises Halabja district along with Khurmal, Biara, Sirwan, and Bamo districts. While the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) had already recognized Halabja as a province, it required approval from Baghdad to gain full provincial status at the national level.
On March 13, 2014, then-Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani signed a decree establishing Halabja as the fourth province of the Kurdistan Region. This decree was based on a Kurdistan Parliament decision from September 22, 1999, which had designated Halabja, along with Soran, Akre, and Ranya, as future provinces. The Kurdistan Region authorities have long argued that under Article 141 of the Iraqi Constitution, which upholds pre-2005 Kurdistan laws, Halabja’s provincial status should be recognized by the central government.
Although the Iraqi parliament initially declared Halabja a province on December 31, 2013, the process remained incomplete. On March 16, 2021, the Kurdistan Parliament sent a memorandum urging the Iraqi government to finalize the necessary legal procedures. Progress was made on March 13, 2023, when the Iraqi Council of Ministers approved the bill to establish Halabja as a province and referred it to parliament. The decision was based on an assessment by the Iraqi Ministry of Planning, which concluded that Halabja met the necessary criteria to become a province.
Halabja is historically known for the chemical attack carried out by Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath regime on March 16, 1988. The attack resulted in the deaths of over 5,000 people, with thousands more injured and displaced. Many children also went missing in the aftermath of the attack, and the survivors continue to demand justice and support for their suffering.
The official recognition of Halabja as a province marks a significant milestone for its residents, who have long awaited this acknowledgment and the rights and resources that come with it.