Komal Files Lawsuit in Iraqi Federal Court to Annul Sixth Term of Kurdistan Parliament
Peregraf
The Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal) has filed a legal complaint with Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court demanding the annulment of the sixth term of the Kurdistan Parliament, citing ongoing 'dysfunction and constitutional violations'.
The complaint, submitted by Omar Gulpi, a former MP and current Komal representative elected in the October 20, 2024, elections, seeks both the dissolution of the sitting parliament and a rerun of the elections under the supervision of Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).
“We have petitioned the Federal Court to revoke all financial privileges that members of the Kurdistan Parliament have received over the past five months,” Gulpi said in Baghdad, arguing that the legislature has failed to function since MPs were sworn in five months ago. “The Parliament has remained entirely inactive. This is a violation of law, the constitution, and the democratic mandate of the Kurdish people.”
Komal, which won three seats, previously denounced the elections as fraudulent and has abstained from participating in the current term.
The lawsuit comes amid mounting pressure from the New Generation Movement, whose leadership has already initiated a parallel legal campaign targeting the legitimacy of the sixth term. On March 30, Mohammed Suleiman, Acting Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament and a senior New Generation official, formally requested that the Kurdistan Region Presidency dissolve the legislature.
“In my capacity as Acting Speaker,” Suleiman said during a press briefing in Sulaymaniyah, “I have formally notified the Kurdistan Region’s Presidency that the sixth parliamentary term must be declared invalid due to fundamental breaches of constitutional requirements.”
Suleiman cited three key legal violations:
1. Failure to convene the inaugural parliamentary session within the 45-day period mandated by Article 10(4) of the Kurdistan Region Presidency Law
2. Non-compliance with Article 47 of the Election Law concerning oath procedures
3. Breach of Article 12 of the Parliament’s Internal Regulations regarding the election of leadership
“The December 2 session I presided over violated all three provisions,” Suleiman stressed. “This makes any legislative action afterward legally baseless.”
Since that session, the Kurdistan Parliament has remained effectively frozen. The deadlock stems from unresolved disputes between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) over cabinet formation for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Six months after elections, no agreement has been reached.
New Generation’s leader, Shaswar Abdulwahid, has repeatedly warned that the political vacuum is eroding public trust. On April 15, he declared: “Six months after elections, we have neither a legitimate parliament nor an approved cabinet. This institutional paralysis cannot continue.”
Abdulwahid has proposed synchronizing new parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan Region with Iraq’s upcoming national elections as a means of restoring order. He accused the region’s ruling parties of intentionally stalling progress to maintain power under a broken system.