ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Veteran Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) lawmaker Rewaz Fayaq has succeeded Vala Farid to become the Kurdistan Region's new parliament speaker after receiving 72 votes in a secret ballot on Thursday.


Ninety four out of 111 MPs were in attendance for today’s vote. New Generation MP Shadia Nawzad received 16 votes, while nine votes were declared void and not counted.


The post of speaker was to be assigned to the PUK as per a PUK-Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) government formation agreement.

Fayaq has served in the Region’s parliament and on multiple parliamentary committees over several years.

Fared, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), was elected on February 18 as a placeholder candidate to help push forward the long-delayed process of forming a new government. She and Fayaq are the first women to hold the post of speaker.

The PUK had boycott the February session, amid a series of disagreements, including the governorship of Kirkuk.

In today's parliament session another four MPs were sworn-in to replace those who received ministerial posts in the new KRG cabinet.

KDP member Lanja Ibrahim replaced Fared, who became a Region minister.

PUK member Shirin Younis replaced Begard Talabani after she assumed the post of minister of agriculture, while Himdad Salih, from the Turkmen Front, replaced new Region minister Aydn Maru.


Socialist Democratic Party member Bapir Kamala replaced Abdulla Mohammed, who has become minister of martyrs and Anfal affairs.

Rudaw