Kurdish PM calls for official recognition of Halabja as Iraq's 19th governorate

Shafaq News/ Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani renewed his call on Sunday for the Iraqi federal legislative and executive authorities to expedite the process of officially recognizing Halabja as Iraq's 19th governorate.

During a speech at the foundation stone-laying ceremony for a grain silo project in Halabja, Barzani highlighted that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) had decided ten years ago to transform Halabja into a governorate. However, he noted, "Unfortunately, to this day, the procedures for establishing Halabja as a governorate by the Iraqi Parliament and the federal government have not been completed."

Barzani stressed the urgency of completing these procedures and called for Halabja to be officially treated as a governorate at the federal level, including the allocation of a development budget for it.

It is noteworthy that in June 2013, KRG decided to establish Halabja as a governorate, headquartered in the city of Halabja and encompassing the districts of Halabja, Shahrizor, Penjwen, and Sayid Sadiq, previously administered under al-Sulaymaniyah governorate.

On March 13, 2023, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani announced the Cabinet’s approval of a draft law to create Halabja governorate and referred the proposal to parliament for enactment. However, the parliament failed to pass the law due to political disagreements.