The new Kurdish parliament speaker, Vala Farid, (C) speaks during a session of Kurdistan's regional parliament in Erbil, on February 18, 2019. AFP
The new Kurdish parliament speaker, Vala Farid, (C) speaks during a session of Kurdistan's regional parliament in Erbil, on February 18, 2019. AFP
The new Kurdish parliament speaker, Vala Farid, (C) speaks during a session of Kurdistan's regional parliament in Erbil, on February 18, 2019. AFP
The new Kurdish parliament speaker, Vala Farid, (C) speaks during a session of Kurdistan's regional parliament in Erbil, on February 18, 2019. AFP

Iraqi Kurdistan elects first female interim speaker


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

Iraqi Kurdish politicians elected an interim speaker of parliament late on Monday  to end months of political deadlock in government.

Vala Fareed, nominated by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), was chosen  during the first parliamentary session since a highly contested legislative election in September.

She becomes the first female speaker in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

Ms Fareed, 43, gained 68 votes but the session was boycotted by politicians from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the party of former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

"Without a signed political agreement between us, we will neither participate in the parliamentary session nor the government formation process," PUK spokesman Latif Sheikh Omar said on Monday.

Ms Fareed will be appointed "temporarily" until a deal can be reached with the PUK on a permanent appointment, head of the KDP bloc Haimim Hamrami said.

Born in Erbil, Ms Fareed who has a law degree,  was elected in parliament after the September poll.

Mona Kahveci, a female lawmaker from the Turkmen Reform Party, was elected as second deputy speaker.

Ms Kahveci became the first member from a non-Kurdish background to hold a senior post in the Kurdish government.

September's parliamentary election was the first in the Kurdish region since it experienced political infighting and a growing ISIS threat.

Iraq's Kurdistan region is divided into areas controlled by the two ruling parties. Yet, parliament has been largely paralysed since 2015 following a dispute over then President Masoud Barzani seeking an extension of his term, while both parties embraced a failed referendum on independence in 2017.

The deadlock in parliament set off a fierce battle between the KDP and the PUK for control over the government.

The two dynastic political parties fought a civil war in the 1990s but have more recently shared power. They  were in a gruelling political battle in Baghdad, where they competed for the presidency at the federal level. The PUK came out on top with the election of Barham Salih.

The September elections marked the first time Kurds went to the polls after their push for independence.

Since then the region has faced political turmoil.

Even though 94 per cent of the voters were in favour of secession, the referendum failed to gain international and regional support.

The vote backfired after it was rejected by Baghdad, Washington and other international powers.

Iraqi forces took back oil-rich regions from Kurdish control and imposed economic sanctions that damaged relations between Baghdad and Erbil.

The move also reduced the Kurdistan Region's Government's share of the national budget.

Relations since then have slightly improved, despite continuous disagreements over oil exports.

Student Of The Year 2

Director: Punit Malhotra

Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal 

1.5 stars

The specs: 2019 Lincoln MKC

Price, base / as tested: Dh169,995 / Dh192,045

Engine: Turbocharged, 2.0-litre, in-line four-cylinder

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power: 253hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 389Nm @ 2,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 10.7L / 100km

Ticket prices

General admission Dh295 (under-three free)

Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free

Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

BlacKkKlansman

Director: Spike Lee

Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver 

Five stars

Schedule for Asia Cup

Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)

Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)

Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four

Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai) 

Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)

Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)

Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 28: Final (Dubai)

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 5.2-litre V10

Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm

Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm

Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto

Price: From Dh1 million

On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022 

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai, 
HBKU Press 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Squads

Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.

India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

Abu Dhabi traffic facts

Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road

The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.

Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.

The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.

The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.

Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019

 

Fanney Khan

Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora

Director: Atul Manjrekar

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand

Rating: 2/5