Constitutional change
Recognition of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq’s Constitution, 2005
Iraq’s federal constitution recognised the region of Kurdistan and its existing authorities as a federal region.
What happened
The Constitution defines Iraq as a single federal state and recognises the region of Kurdistan and its existing authorities as a federal region, with Kurdish as an official language of Iraq.[1][2] Regional legislation since 1992 stays in force, and a referendum on Kirkuk and other disputed territories was due by the end of 2007.[3][4]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
-
1.
Claim: Iraq’s 2005 Constitution defines Iraq as a single federal state and, on coming into force, recognises the region of Kurdistan and its existing authorities as a federal region.
- Republic of Iraq, Iraq’s Constitution of 2005 (Constitute Project, 2005) link, arts. 1 and 117. Government perspective or primary official source Source record
-
2.
Claim: Arabic and Kurdish are the two official languages of Iraq.
- Republic of Iraq, Iraq’s Constitution of 2005 (Constitute Project, 2005) link, art. 4. Government perspective or primary official source Source record
-
3.
Claim: Regions may exercise executive, legislative and judicial powers except for the federal government’s exclusive powers, and legislation enacted in the region of Kurdistan since 1992 remains in force unless it contradicts the Constitution.
- Republic of Iraq, Iraq’s Constitution of 2005 (Constitute Project, 2005) link, arts. 121 and 141. Government perspective or primary official source Source record
-
4.
Claim: Article 140 required normalisation, a census and a referendum in Kirkuk and other disputed territories by 31 December 2007; in July 2017 Iraq’s prime minister said it had not yet been implemented.
- Republic of Iraq, Iraq’s Constitution of 2005 (Constitute Project, 2005) link, art. 140. Government perspective or primary official source Source record
- United Nations Secretary-General, Report of the Secretary-General pursuant to resolution 2367 (2017) (United Nations, 19 October 2017) link, para. 9, p. 2. Source record