The Kurdistan Region of Iraq finds itself again in a state of uncertainty after the Supreme Federal Court's decision last week that the extension of the region's parliamentary term is unconstitutional.
The May 30 ruling has cast doubt on parliamentary elections scheduled for November 18, leaving the Kurdish region in political upheaval.
According to the court ruling, all decisions made by the regional parliament from the date of its term extension in October 2022 are considered null and void, including one to reactivate the region’s electoral commission to oversee the elections.
The semi-autonomous region was supposed to hold parliamentary elections last year, but disagreements between the major ruling parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, pushed back the date.
Later the two parties, who hold a delicate power-sharing deal in the region, agreed to extend parliament for a year so they could continue negotiations over issues such as amending the elections law and the share of revenues from taxation and oil.
Politicians and experts are concerned over the implications of the ruling. The absence of a functioning parliament leaves the region in a precarious situation, because the legislative body plays a vital role in passing laws, regulating the electoral process, and overseeing the activities of the government.
Federal supervision
They are now urging the federal government and its Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to step in and take charge of overseeing the elections in Kurdistan.
“With that ruling, the Kurdistan parliament and the electoral commission are inactive, and the government is a caretaker one,” Baghdad-based legal expert Ali Al Tamimi told The National.
“Therefore, there is no legal base to have the elections overseen by the regional elections commission, but only by IHEC as its law allows it to do so,” Mr Al Tamimi added.
During a meeting with the parliament’s legal committee last week, IHEC said it is hard to oversee the region’s elections, which occur at the same time as Iraq’s provincial councils elections slated for November 6, an official who attended the meeting told The National.
The committee cited a short time frame adding that it needs additional time and preparations to conduct the elections in Kurdistan, the official added.
A spokesman for the Kurdistan Region government says the decision to ask Baghdad to oversee the elections lies within the authority of Kurdistan President Masrour Barzani. Requests for comments by The National to Mr Barzani’s spokesman were unanswered.
But a senior Kurdistan government official told The National that delaying the elections to early next year “is highly likely”.
Since last year, the PUK and KDP have been at loggerheads over many issues, including elections, power sharing, assassinations of PUK-linked officials and sharing of oil and gas revenues.
The PUK wants to amend the current parliamentary elections law to divide the region into four constituencies and to review the voters’ roll, alleging it contains false names.
In recent weeks, the two parties reached a comprise that allowed PUK to end its boycott and return to cabinet meetings. They also tentatively agreed on amending the election law and reactivating the region's independent electoral commission in one package.
But the positive steps made were quickly overturned last month when KDP forced a vote on reactivating the electoral commission only, sparking a fist fight in parliament between representatives of the two parties for the first time.
Now that a new elections law is impossible to get, PUK is seeking a political compromise.
“There must be a path out of this crisis,” PUK senior member Mahmoud Khoshnaw told The National.
“In our point of view, the real path out of this crisis is a political consensus between all the Kurdish political forces,” Mr Khoshnaw said.
Kurdish political forces must find a way to end political wrangling to “start a new era”, he said, warning that “arm-twisting policies will lead us nowhere" and if the KDP's policies continue, "I don’t think that we will be able to hold the elections, whether in its time or any other date”.
“Trust needs to be restored to reach a power-sharing deal with KDP and others to start a new political page and national concord and the most important thing is that there must be a will,” he said. "Then we can find an exit."
Independent political analyst Lawk Ghafuri said he does not believe that there are any objections “at least as of now” from any political parties in Kurdistan to hold elections under the supervision of IHEC, given that it had successfully overseen the smooth completion of the 2021 national elections in Iraq.
“Delaying or postponing the elections would have a significant adverse impact on the Kurdistan Region, considering that the political tensions between the parties has reached a stalemate,” Mr Ghafuri, the ex-head of the KRG's foreign media affairs office, told The National.
“Conducting elections seems to be the only viable option to restore peace among the parties,” he said, adding that holding elections is important to “ensure the promotion of democracy and the resolution of political complexities”.
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, Group B
Barcelona v Inter Milan
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
if you go
The flights
The closest international airport to the TMB trail is Geneva (just over an hour’s drive from the French ski town of Chamonix where most people start and end the walk). Direct flights from the UAE to Geneva are available with Etihad and Emirates from about Dh2,790 including taxes.
The trek
The Tour du Mont Blanc takes about 10 to 14 days to complete if walked in its entirety, but by using the services of a tour operator such as Raw Travel, a shorter “highlights” version allows you to complete the best of the route in a week, from Dh6,750 per person. The trails are blocked by snow from about late October to early May. Most people walk in July and August, but be warned that trails are often uncomfortably busy at this time and it can be very hot. The prime months are June and September.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
MEYDAN%20RACECARD
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Civil%20War
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
