The parliament of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Wednesday passed legislation by a majority vote to re-adopt the regional presidency office after it was suspended last year.
The legislation was accepted by 82 votes in the 111-seated parliament while 12 deputies from the New Generation Movement voted against the legislation. According to the legislation, the KRG president will not be elected through the popular vote but appointed by the parliament. The legislation determined a three-day period for those who want to present their candidates for the position.
After the 2017 independence referendum faced a harsh response by the Iraqi government, rejecting the results of the referendum and entering the Kurdish-held city of Kirkuk the same year, the then-KRG President Masoud Barzani announced on Oct. 29, 2017, that he would step down from his position. As a result, the power of the president was transferred to the prime ministry, parliament and justice commission. In 2018, however, the parliament decided to suspend the position of the regional presidency in July 2018.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which won first place in September 2018, declared they will nominate incumbent KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani for the position. The September elections were the first time to hold parliamentary elections after turbulent years filled with the fight against Daesh.
