04-07-2025
Kurdish MP slams Diyala redistricting: Breach of Iraq constitution
Shafaq News - Diyala
Upgrading Qara Tapa in Diyala to district status and merging nearby subdistricts is a violation of Article 140 of Iraq's constitution, Kurdish lawmaker Karwan Yarwais stated on Friday.
In a statement, Yarwais warned that the Ministry of Planning's decision to incorporate Jabbarah, Qaws Qulah, and Kulajo into the new administrative unit violates constitutional protections prohibiting changes to disputed territories until Article 140 is fully implemented.
Article 140 of Iraq's Constitution mandates the normalization, census, and referendum process to resolve the status of disputed territories between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Region, including Kirkuk and areas in Nineveh, Diyala, and Saladin. The process was constitutionally required to conclude by the end of 2007 but remains unimplemented.
'This move mirrors past Arabization policies pursued under the former [Baath] regime,' Yarwais stated, referencing historical boundary manipulation in disputed areas.
Recognizing Qara Tapa as a district must be matched by constitutional recognition of restoring Kalar, Kifri, and Chamchamal to Kirkuk — areas previously removed as part of demographic restructuring, he argued.
The lawmaker urged Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to block what he called an unconstitutional shift and called on President Abdul Latif Rashid, as constitutional guarantor, to prevent further imbalance in disputed regions.
