Iraqi Kurdistan at a Strategic Crossroads: Political Fragmentation, Security Vulnerabilities and the Erosion of Regional Autonomy

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Iraqi Kurdistan faces growing political fragmentation, security vulnerabilities and external pressure threatening its federal autonomy. Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj, Founder of Kurdish Policy Analysis Iraqi Kurdistan is entering a consequential period in its post-2003 political history. The Kurdistan Region, which spent decades establishing its federal status, developing autonomous institutions and building international partnerships, is now confronting a convergence of political, security and geopolitical pressures . The escalating confrontation between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the incomplete institutional integration of the Peshmerga, the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Erbil, and repeated attacks against critical energy infrastructure are exposing vulnerabilities that extend beyond the region's internal political arrangements. These developments are interconnected. Political fragmentation weakens the region's negotiat...
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“Iraq’s Constitution Is Being Ignored" — Top Judge Warns "the State Is Breaking Down”

    Chief Justice Fayeq Zeidan says Iraq’s biggest crisis isn’t political division — it’s the systematic failure to enforce its own constitution. 


By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj

SULAIMANI, KURDISTAN REGION OF IRAQ-- Fayeq Zeidan: the Chief of Justice System of Iraq warns that failure to enforce the constitution is driving political paralysis, weakening the state, and deepening the country’s ongoing governance crisis. The non-implementation of the constitution has become a big problem in Iraq, he said.

The head of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council says the failure to implement the constitution is one of the biggest problems facing the formation of a modern state in Iraq. Fayeq Zeidan warns that this problem has weakened the dignity of the state and repeated political crises.

On Friday, April 10, 2026, Fayeq Zeidan, President of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, in a speech on the Facebook page of the Supreme Judicial Council entitled (the problem of non-implementation of constitutional texts) highlighted the obstacles facing the Iraqi political system.

“The problem is not the absence of a constitution, but the weakness of commitment to its implementation,” Zedan said. He notes that the 2005 Iraqi constitution laid the foundations for a democratic system, "but in practice there is a clear gap between the texts and their implementation.

According to the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, Iraq has gone through a complicated period since 2003 when its new system has been influenced by several factors, including "political divisions and conflicts of interest," which have led to the disruption of some constitutional articles.

Judges’ powers are limited

In another part of his article, Fayeq Zedan talks about the weakness of the judges' powers when "violation of the constitution" and says that when the parliament (legislature) acts against the constitution, due to the lack of a clear text to punish this violation.

Fayeq Zedan argued that the judge cannot ignore the violation, while lacking the constitutional backing to enforce the decisions, which makes the constitution from a coercive instrument to "just a theoretical document. To address this, he calls for strict laws and measures.

Iraq's political vacuum

Zeidan's warning comes as Iraq has been in deep political stalemate since the November 2025 elections. Despite months, a new president and government have not yet been elected.

The crisis has been deepened by political conflict.

The current situation reflects Fayeq Zedan's words, especially about ignoring the deadlines set in the constitution. This stalemate has not only disrupted the political process, but also affected the lives of citizens, due to the lack of a fully authoritative government.

#Iraq #IraqCrisis #Constitution #MiddleEast #Politics #Governance #BreakingNews #IraqPolitics #RuleOfLaw #Geopolitics


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