Dr. Rewas Faiq Hussein, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament, on the role of women and the state of democracy in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
How would you define the Parliament’s role and the state of democracy in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq?
Kurdistan is a young democracy. Building a strong parliamentary democracy and promoting democratic culture takes time. Our main aim is to strengthen our democracy, create prosperity, and realize our potential by granting democratic rights in their fullest to the people of Kurdistan. In order to do that we are focusing on passing relevant legislation to reinforce our democracy. We want to adapt our laws on political parties, on civil organizations, on freedom of the press, and on organizing demonstrations to the standards of the world’s leading democracies. We are committed but we need time to reach that level.
We believe that the Parliament must serve and represent the interests of the people and meet their ever-growing expectations. So, we want to show to the people of Kurdistan that we are tirelessly working for them. Therefore, we are focusing on the laws which will directly improve the quality of life of the people of Kurdistan. Our focus is to pass all the necessary bills to strengthen the legal framework of the most important sectors, such as insurance, agriculture, health, and housing.
Our main aim is to strengthen our democracy, create prosperity, and realize our potential by granting democratic rights in their fullest to the people of Kurdistan. In order to do that we are focusing on passing relevant legislation to reinforce our democracy.
Dr. Rewas Faiq Hussein, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament
How would you define the role of women in Kurdistan? Do you believe that Kurdistan will one day have a woman President or Prime Minister?
If you compare the status of women with how it was in the 1990s, we see a big improvement. For instance, today, women are actively involved in politics and receive a lot of trust and respect from the public. However, there are some sectors in which women are underrepresented, such as in business. We need to raise the level of education of women in Kurdistan, so that they can play a much more important role in various segments of life.
We have two projects in Parliament aimed at expanding the role of women in Kurdistan. One of them is in the political sphere. We want to change the quota system in political party’s executive bodies. Political parties should provide more senior roles to women by granting them leadership positions and executive power. Another project is related to social issues and seeks to improve the incomes of women inside the family. That’s a project that still needs approval from the government and is on hold for now.
I think some people never believed that a woman could one day become Speaker of the Parliament. But it happened. So, a woman President and a woman Prime Minister is not a dream. It could happen in the future.
Dr. Rewas Faiq Hussein, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament
Regarding the second part of your question, I think some people never believed that a woman could one day become Speaker of the Parliament. But it happened. So, a woman President and a woman Prime Minister is not a dream. It could happen in the future. I believe Kurdistan’s political landscape will not stay as it is in future. I believe that I will be an example for others and to show that women can perform top-level tasks and hold senior positions if I am successful as a woman politician. So, I feel very responsible in my duty.
