Political crisis escalates in Iraq's Kurdistan region
The prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan removed four ministers from his cabinet on October 12 and the speaker of parliament was barred from entering the capital in an escalating political crisis that threatens to destabilize the region.
The parliament speaker and ministers are all members of the Gorran party, which the dominant Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) accuses of orchestrating violent protests that resulted in five deaths.
The unrest is the most serious the relatively peaceful region has seen in years and could undermine its effectiveness in the war against Islamic State, in which it is a key ally of the US-led coalition.
The ministers of religious affairs, finance, trade, and peshmerga forces on October 12 met Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani who "asked them to leave their posts", Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) spokesman Safeen Dizayee told Reuters.
"These measures were primarily to contain the situation," Dizayee said, adding that the prime minister, who is also vice president of the KDP, would designate existing members of the cabinet to fill the now-vacant posts on a temporary basis.
Earlier on October 12, parliament speaker Yousif Mohammed said security forces loyal to the KDP had turned him back on the road to Erbil, where the parliament is located, describing the act as a "coup".
"The Kurdistan region is heading towards a much worse situation," Mohammed said in a news conference upon his return to the city of Sulaimaniyah, where Gorran is headquartered.
Relations between the parties that make up the KRG have come under increasing strain over the presidency of Massoud Barzani, whose mandate expired on August 20.
Gorran is one of four parties demanding a reduction of the president's powers as a condition for extending his term, but the KDP, which is led by Barzani, has resisted.