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Iraqi Kurds elect first woman speaker as stop-gap

Iraqi Kurds elect first woman speaker as stopgap
Iraqi Kurds elect first woman speaker as stop-gap

2019-02-19 00:00:00 - Source: Iraq News

Iraqi Kurds elect first woman speaker as stop-gap

ARBIL, Iraq: The parliament in Iraq´s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region on Monday elected its first ever woman speaker as a temporary stop-gap while deep political rifts persist more than four months after legislative elections.

During the body´s first session since the September polls deputies chose Vala Farid from former regional leader Massud Barzani´s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

The head of the KDP bloc Haimim Hawrami said Farid was appointed “temporarily” until a deal can be reached with the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party on a permanent appointment. Lawmakers from the PUK, the party of former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, boycotted Monday´s session. The PUK has asked for more time to hash out thorny issues with its rival including the leadership of the disputed oil-rich province of Kirkuk.

Iraqi Kurdistan has faced political instability since a September 2017 referendum for independence backfired after it was rejected by Baghdad and international powers. Iraqi forces took back oil-rich regions from Kurdish control in the wake of the vote, dealing a hammer blow to the authorities in the semi-autonomous region.





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