ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Kurdistan Region’s newly-elected members of parliament were sworn in on Monday, officially commencing their legislative duties over a month after parliamentary elections were held.

The session began with the swearing-in of Mohammed Sulaiman from The New Generation Movement (NGM), who presided over the first parliamentary session as the oldest member of the legislature.

“We, the MPs, have an important responsibility, which is the responsibility of being true representatives of the people and committing to the promises we have made to our voters and the rest of the people of Kurdistan,” said Sulaiman during the opening speech.

The acting speaker then invited the newly-elected lawmakers to come to the stage one by one and take the legal oath.

After all attending MPs were sworn in, Sulaiman opened up the window for the parliament blocs to submit their candidates for the speakership post. The top three parties from the October 20 elections, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and NGM, all submitted their nominations.

The KDP nominated Vala Fareed and Halgord Shex Najeeb, the PUK nominated Shalaw Kosrat Rasool and Miran Mohammed, and NGM nominated Kurdawan Jamal.

The vote on electing a speaker was postponed due to not meeting the legal quorum. The acting speaker said they will “take a rest until the quorum is met.” As of the writing of this article, it is unclear whether the session will be resumed later in the day or indefinitely adjourned.

The Kurdistan Region held parliamentary elections on October 20, following a two-year delay. The Region had been without a parliament since May 2023 after Iraq’s top court ruled against the self-extension of the parliament’s term by another year.

The primary winner of the elections, the KDP and runner-up PUK, held their first meeting aimed at forming the next government cabinet in Sulaimani on Saturday. The delegations said the meeting proceeded in “a positive atmosphere” without providing further clarification.