Iraq’s Parliament took a notable step on Saturday by releasing its session agenda in Kurdish for the first time since 2005, even though Kurdish is officially the country’s second language.
In a statement, Parliament’s media office said the upcoming session, the seventh in the current term, will be held tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. local time. The agenda includes swearing in replacement lawmakers and voting to form permanent parliamentary committees. It does not include a vote to elect a president.
Earlier, a parliamentary source told Shafaq News that from now on, session agendas and details will be shared in Kurdish as well as Arabic.
Kurds are one of Iraq’s three main groups, alongside Shiite and Sunni communities. Under Iraq’s power-sharing system, the presidency is traditionally held by a Kurd, along with several other key roles. Kurds continue to have a strong presence in Parliament, having recently secured 56 seats in the 329-member legislature.
