ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The reactivation of the Kurdistan Parliament is a “victory for the will of Kurdistan’s people” and a decisive step toward restoring legitimacy and safeguarding democracy, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on Wednesday. 

“Today’s decision is an act of loyalty to the blood of the martyrs and the will of the voters, and this step is a victory for the will of Kurdistan’s people,” Barzani said in a statement. 

The Kurdistan Parliament was reactivated on Monday following a lengthy two years of inactivity, holding its first session since the swearing-in of the winners of the Kurdistan Region’s last elections in December 2024 and breaking a two-year deadlock. During the session, the legislature’s presidency was elected. 

In the statement, Barzani said that “the reactivation of parliament is a commitment to, and adherence to, the implementation of the democratic process.” 

However, the session was boycotted by several parties, including the Kurdistan Region’s second largest party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and was only able to meet quorum as a result of a series of defections from non-participating blocs.

“I hope that in the coming days the other members of parliament will also take part in parliamentary sessions, fulfill their national, legal, and moral duties, and live up to the responsibility and trust placed in them by their voters,” Barzani said. 

“I call on all parties to step forward for the sake of the national interest, so that together we can render a more worthy service to our people and homeland and protect our constitutional gains,” he asserted. 

In a statement on Wednesday, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the largest political bloc in the Region, hailed the reactivation of the Kurdistan parliament as "an important step towards restoring the effective functioning of democratic institutions," and urged boycotting blocs to return to the legislature.

The PUK abstained from the Wednesday session after accusing the KDP of failing to work in conjunction with the party to administer the Kurdistan Region. However, two PUK MPs – Hardi Salah and Mohammed Faysal Karimkhan – attended parliament and criticized the PUK's absence, citing the need to overcome inter-party conflicts and resume parliamentary activities.

Other boycotting parties included the National Stance (Halwest) Movement, the Kurdistan Islamic Union, and the New Generation Movement. Halwest leader Ali Hama Saleh announced that two of his MPs who attended the session have been "expelled" from the party, accusing them of "gaining positions and money, but losing their credibility."

The KDP’s Vala Fareed, who was appointed as parliament speaker unanimously by the 52 MPs in attendance, called on the absent parties to participate in a Monday session to nominate candidates for parliamentary committees, stressing the importance of the legal affairs committee in particular, as "parliament cannot perform its work" without it.