Latest news with #Kurdistan-based
Rudaw Net
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
NGO slams Kurdistan MPs for drawing salaries without parliament sitting
Also in Kurdistan UNAMI condemns attack on Assyrian Christians in Duhok Landmine blast kills tradesman in Soran Turkey-PKK clashes intensify in Duhok province More government support needed as Kurdistan autism cases increase: Association A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Four months after they were sworn in, Kurdistan Region's parliamentarians have not returned to the legislature, a researcher told Rudaw on Thursday, criticizing the lawmakers for receiving more than two billion dinars in salary payments but not doing any work. 'We have 19 committees [in the parliament]. In the span of three months each committee should have a minimum of six meetings per month, multiply that by 19 and they should have held 114 meetings. Not only have they failed to hold a single session, but they have not formed the committees,' Sarwar Abdulrahman, head of PAY Foundation for Education and Development, told Rudaw's Nwenar Fatih. 'The only thing that has changed in the Region's parliament, frankly, is that members of parliament have been provided salaries, period. There is nothing more, meaning their salaries are illegal,' he added. The PAY Foundation for Education and Development is a Kurdistan-based NGO that monitors parliamentary performance, governance, and transparency. It publishes reports on legislative activity and advocates for accountability. After the October 20 election, parliament held its first session on December 2. It was chaired by the oldest member and the MPs took the parliamentary oath. The legislature did not elect a speaker, deputy speaker, or secretary. No other sessions have been scheduled. Abdulrahman said that the initial swearing-in session is legally void as the parliament is still lacking a presidency. He also noted that any decisions made, salary allocations, and other privileges are also legally null. Under Article 51 of Parliament's internal rules, members must follow a set weekly schedule: Sundays are for meeting with constituents, Mondays for committee meetings, Tuesdays and Wednesdays for parliamentary sessions, and Thursdays for follow-ups with the government, Abdulrahman explained. 'Fridays and Saturdays are officially designated as weekends. However, to them, every day of the week has been a weekend in the past four months,' he said. He said that the lawmakers should not have accepted their salaries and their first act in office should not be one of corruption and illegality. Out of 100 members, 97 have taken their oaths. PAY recently published a report on the Kurdistan Parliament's current term that also provided salary breakdowns. Each member has a base monthly salary of 8.2 million IQD, but because committees have not been formed, they do not receive the additional 500,000 IQD committee bonus. This brings their actual salary to 7.7 million IQD per month. In three months, each parliamentarian received approximately 23.1 million IQD, despite the lack of legislative activity. As of March, total spending on salaries has reached 2.24 billion IQD, according to PAY. Each member has also been assigned three bodyguards and provided with a house or apartment. No single party won a majority in the election, meaning a governing coalition will need to be formed, as has traditionally been the case. The two ruling parties - the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) - who came first and second in the vote, have made progress in government formation talks. The distribution of posts in the government will be announced after the Eid al-Fitr holiday, a PUK spokesperson said late last month.
Rudaw Net
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Women need to part of Kurdistan's decision-making: NGO
Also in Kurdistan Leadership shakeup at Erbil football club after loss Kurdish leaders commemorate women's day, highlight resilience Unidentified warplanes target Sulaimani village: Monitor President Barzani urges unity on 34th anniversary of uprising A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - On the occasion of International Women's Day, the head of a Kurdistan-based NGO said that true progress comes when women are empowered and have a voice, and she urged women's participation in decision-making in the Kurdistan Region. 'It's about making sure that they are in the room where the decisions happen, that their voices are heard, and that women feel empowered to speak up,' Sherri Kraham Talabani, president and co-founder of SEED Foundation, told Rudaw on Saturday. 'It's important to know that when you improve the lives of women and you improve their participation it doesn't take away from man, but in fact everybody in society is better off. Because when women participate in the decision-making they often look at the needs of the family and that's really critical for our decision-making and policy-making,' she said. She said that SEED Foundation is entering its tenth year of work and their focus in the beginning was working with survivors of violence and war and ensuring that women are safe, but now they are expanding their mission. 'We work very closely in partnership with law enforcement, with social services, social protection parts of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. We work with all aspects of government because we've left the humanitarian crisis. We are now in this phase of development where we need the economy to thrive and need people to be well and cohesive,' she said. She noted that war and instability have impacted all of society and women as well. 'I've always seen the women of Kurdistan fighting not just for women's rights but for better men in all of society, for human rights, against war and against conflict, and for the needs of the population. So, I have always been impressed by the power of Kurdish women,' she said.
