Rokan Mohammed Ahmed – Activist More than two years have passed since the elections were held, yet what remains absent in the Kurdistan Region is respect for the people’s vote and the principles of democracy. While in developed countries elections serve to renew the vitality and legitimacy of state institutions, under the dominance of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the political process has been reduced to a hostage of partisan and personal interests. A Locked Parliament and a Distorted Rule of Law Parliament, which was meant to represent the voice of the people and serve as the highest legislative authority, has remained effectively locked for an extended period, stripped of its genuine constitutional role. This paralysis has not only created a serious legal vacuum but has also become an open insult to the very principles of law and the Constitution. Instead of exercising oversight over the government, Parliament itself has become a casualty of the power struggle between the two dominant political forces. A Failed Cabinet Wearing the Disguise of a “Caretaker Government” The cabinet that failed, during its constitutional term, to guarantee even the most basic rights of citizens—above all, the payment of salaries and the protection of people’s livelihoods—continues to govern unlawfully under the label of a “caretaker government,” pursuing the very same failed policies. This administration has left behind a record in which: Crises have become permanent: A lack of transparency over public revenues, alongside rising inflation and unemployment, has reached alarming levels. The law has been pushed aside: The government continues to extend its expired mandate through unfounded justifications, despite having lost both its legal and moral legitimacy. Dividing the Nation for Political Gain The failure to form a new government for more than two years demonstrates a troubling reality: the KDP and the PUK have effectively divided the nation between themselves. Their dispute is not about serving the people, but about distributing government positions, controlling financial resources, and preserving their respective spheres of influence—the so-called Yellow Zone and Green Zone. Allowing the Kurdistan Region to remain trapped in this prolonged state of political deadlock and legal uncertainty serves only to damage the Region’s standing and the lives of its people. A political leadership that is unable to form a government or activate its Parliament more than two years after an election has already presented the strongest evidence of its own failure. The time has come to bring this unlawful situation to an end and to restore respect for the genuine will of the people. Post navigation When Will the Political Game of Salaries and People’s Livelihoods End?