NEWS CENTER - Former YNK parliamentarian Rêzan Şêx Dilêr said that it is positive that women went beyond the quota in the elections and entered the parliament and that if women establish group, they can pass many laws that protect women’s rights.

 

According to the results of the early general elections held on October 10 in Iraq and the Federated Kurdistan Region, 97 women entered the parliament in the 329-seat parliament. Women went beyond the determined women’s quota with 14 seats.

 

24 women elected in Federated Kurdistan

 

From 97 women who entered the parliament, 24 were elected from the Federated Kurdistan Region. 17 women from Kurdish parties entered the parliament in Hewlêr, Sulaymaniyah and Duhok, and seven women in Mosul, Kirkuk and Xanekin.

 

10 of the 32 parliamentarians of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), nine of the 15 parliamentarians of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (YNK), and five of the nine parliamentarians of the New Generation Movement were elected as woman parliamentarians. While 12 of the women elected from the cities in Federated Kurdistan entered the parliament with the votes they received without a quota, five women took advantage of the quota and entered the parliament.

 

Rêzan Şêx Dilêr, who served as the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (YNK) parliamentarian for two terms in the Iraqi Parliament, spoke to Rojnews about the elected woman parliamentarians. Rêzan said that the more women there are in the parliament, the more women’s voices will be heard.

 

Becomes the largest group

 

‘’Due to the change in the electoral system and the women’s quota, all parties had to nominate a woman in each election district,’’ Rêzan said. She continued as, ‘’There should be a woman’s voice in a developed and understanding parliament. If women establish a common group in the Iraqi Parliament, they will be the largest group in the parliament. In this way, they will be able to make a positive impact on women’s rights and gender equality’’.

 

‘They can pass special laws’

 

Rêzan said that women can show their influence in projects related to women, if they act as a single group, and they can enact these projects in line with the interests of women. ‘’If women vote as a common group, they can pass special laws on combating violence against women, domestic violence and crimes against children. Women in parliament can enact in many areas, they can also enact about women,’’ she said.

 

‘Parties used women’

 

Evaluating on the last two terms of the parliament, Rêzan stated that women oppose each other rather than support each other and that political parties use women against each other, and this had negative effects.

 

They should be the voice of Iraqi women’

 

Finally, Rêzan said that the newly elected women should be the voice and the colour of all Iraqi women.