The Iraqi parliament is set to address the electoral commission’s term, scheduled to end in July, and amend it to accommodate for holding the Kurdistan Region’s elections.

The Iraqi parliament on Monday published its schedule for a session set for Wednesday, during which the legislative body is set to vote on an amendment to the electoral commission law.

“The term of the electoral commission will be extended for six months, from July 9 to January 9,” Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) MP Majid Shingali told The New Region on Monday, adding that the parliament has complete authority to extend the commission’s term.

The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court earlier this month suspended preparations for the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections that were scheduled for June 10.

The decision was in light of an official lawsuit filed by the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, against the President of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) of Iraq.

The lawsuit is set to be seen by the court on Tuesday.

However, for the elections to be delayed, the parliament has to extend the term of the electoral commission.

“This does not require the change of the commission team, they will continue until the end of the term,” Shingali said, adding that “their term was previously 54 months and now it will be 60 months.”

Earlier this year, the Electoral Commission issued Law No. 7 of 2024 regarding the registration and approval of candidate lists for the Parliament of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Article 2 of the law divided the Kurdistan Region into four electoral districts and specified the parliament's seat count at 100 only, nullifying the 11 seats allocated for minority quotas.

This move sparked discontent among several political parties, including the ruling KDP, prompting calls for the decision to be revoked due to its alleged unconstitutionality.

The parliamentary session will come just days after UNAMI Chief Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert addressed the UN Security Council saying that the Kurdistan Region is in desperate need of inclusive, transparent, and credible elections.

“Inclusive, transparent, and credible Regional elections, capable of producing political finality and certainty, are desperately needed,” she said, adding that “the stakes are high - including, and increasingly, within the context of the legitimacy of KR institutions. In fact, if the current impasse was to drag on, the very future of the Region would hang in the balance.”