Rewaz Fayaq elected as new speaker of Iraqi Kurdistan parliament
Rewaz Fayaq elected as new speaker of Iraqi Kurdistan parliament, Erbil, July 11, 2019. Photo: PUK
HEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— Iraqi Kurdistan parliament elected Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) lawmaker Rewaz Fayaq Hussein as new speaker during a parliamentary session on Thursday.
The Kurdistan Parliament convened on Thursday to replace lawmakers who relinquished their Seats in order to take up ministerial positions in the new cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
94 out of 111 MPs were in attendance for Thursday’s vote.
Lawmakers have elected Rewaz Fayaq of the PUK as the new speaker of the Kurdistan parliament with 72 votes, after former speaker Vala Farid was sworn in as KRG Minister of Region on Wednesday.
New Generation Movement MP Shadia Nawzad also nominated herself for the position of speaker, but she did not receive a sufficient number of votes to be elected to the position, she received 16 votes.
The post of speaker was to be assigned to the PUK as per a PUK-Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) government formation agreement.
Fayaq has served in the Region’s parliament and on multiple parliamentary committees over several years.
Vala Farid, a member of the KDP, was elected on February 18, 2019 as a placeholder candidate to help push forward the long-delayed process of forming a new government. She and Fayaq are the first women to hold the post of speaker.
In Thursday’s parliament session another four MPs were sworn-in to replace those who received ministerial posts in the new KRG cabinet.
KDP member Lanja Ibrahim replaced Fared, who became a Region minister.
PUK member Shirin Younis replaced Begard Talabani after she assumed the post of minister of agriculture, while Himdad Salih, from the Turkmen Front, replaced new Region minister Aydn Maru.
Socialist Democratic Party member Bapir Kamala replaced Abdulla Mohammed, who has become minister of martyrs and Anfal affairs.
The Kurdistan Parliament voted to approve the new KRG cabinet on Wednesday. Newly elected Prime Minister Masrour Barzani received 88 votes and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani received 73 votes.
The New Generation Movement, Kurdistan Islamic Group and Kurdistan Islamic Union caucuses did not vote for the KRG’s ministerial candidates, including the Premier and Deputy Premier.
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