KRG

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is the autonomous governing authority of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It exercises executive and legislative powers within its territory, while foreign relations and certain federal responsibilities remain under the authority of the Iraqi federal government. The region’s capital is Erbil (Hewler), and the KRG is headquartered in the Kurdistan Region, which comprises the governorates of Erbil, Duhok, and Sulaymaniyah. The government operates a separate parliament and administration separate from the central Iraqi government.

The KRG was established in the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War and gained de facto autonomy after the 1992 no-fly zone, with its status later recognized by the Iraqi constitution of 2005. The Kurdistan Parliament, elected for fixed terms, approves legislation and oversees the regional government, which is headed by a prime minister and a president who acts as the region’s head of state. The KRG administers most internal affairs in education, health, security, and local economic development, and it maintains its own security forces, the Peshmerga, which have played a prominent role in regional security, including actions against the Islamic State militants.

Economically, the KRG relies heavily on oil and gas revenues and has sought greater control over its natural resources, a point of friction with the Iraqi federal government over revenue sharing and resource ownership. The status of disputed areas, most notably Kirkuk, remains a sensitive and contested issue between Erbil and Baghdad. The KRG maintains international ties and operates within a framework of Iraq’s constitutional limits, while pursuing regional diplomacy and trade with neighboring states.