Kurdish Participation in the Parliamentary Life and Their Stance Towards the Iraqi Constitution

Abstract

The Kurds played a vital role in different fields of the Iraqi political life since the beginning due to their historical and cultural existence and role in Iraq. This can be seen clearly in their participation in the Iraqi political life and tableau since the establishment of that country and the inauguration of the first legislation council in 1924 which was called the “Constituent Assembly”. The Kurds were represented in that time by a group of great enlightened people in addition of the tribal chiefs.

The political activity at that time concentrated on developing the process of education, public services, and improving the life status of the Kurdish people within the Iraqi state and its directions. But they had their special stances about the Kurdish liberation armed movements and in this respect, they focused upon the humanitarian cases and ways of respecting and treating them. Despite that, some of them did not believe in armed movements at all and they regarded such movements as rebellions against the government. 

Some other members of the parliament, however, had strong and clever opinions that aimed at unifying the stance of the Kurds and they tried recurrently to put forward the Kurdish case during the parliament sessions. They even submitted memoranda to the prime minister and the League of Nations asking for the rights of the Kurds in southern Kurdistan. As a proof for their active role, the then King appointed twenty members for the House of Lords some of whom were Kurds.