Vala Fareed

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Vala Fareed

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| office1 = Minister of State Kurdistan Regional Government

| term_start1 = 11 July 2019

| term_end1 =

| predecessor1 =

| successor1 =

| office2 = Speaker of the Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament

| term_start2 = 18 February 2019

| term_end2 = 11 July 2019

| predecessor2 = Yousif Muhammed Sadiq

| successor2 = Rewaz Fayeq

| birth_name =

| birth_date = 1975

| birth_place = Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = KDP

| nationality = Kurdish, Iraq

| other_names =

| occupation = Lawyer, politician

| years_active =

| known_for =

| notable_works =

}}

Vala Fareed (born 1975) is a Minister of State for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. She was previously elected as the first female speaker of the legislature in February 2019.

Born in Erbil, Fareed has a degree in law, and was elected to the Kurdistan Region Parliament in September 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/iraqi-kurdistan-elects-first-female-interim-speaker-1.827458|title=Iraqi Kurdistan elects first female interim speaker|website=The National|language=en|access-date=2019-03-04}}

On 18 February 2019, Fareed was nominated by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and received 68 votes. The session was boycotted by politicians from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and Fareed was appointed as interim speaker until the PUK and KDP are able to reach agreement on a permanent appointment.{{Cite web|url=https://arab24.com/portal/index.php/arab24-stories/iraq/item/13412-2019-02-19-11-01-22|title=Arab24 - Iraq – First female speaker of Kurdistan Region parliament|website=arab24.com|access-date=2019-03-04}}{{Cite web|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/ishm-february-15-21-2019|title=ISHM: February 15 – 21, 2019 - Iraq|website=ReliefWeb|language=en|access-date=2019-03-04}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.fijitimes.com/iraqs-kurdish-regional-parliament-elects-interim-speaker-amid-boycott/|title=Iraq's Kurdish regional parliament elects interim speaker amid boycott|website=FijiTimes|language=en|access-date=2019-03-04}}

According to VOA, the KDP stated that once they and the PUK had reached an agreement, the role of speaker would revert to being a political appointee of the PUK. "Whenever there is an agreement between the two parties, we will withdraw our candidate and vote for the PUK candidate, per our agreement," said the PDK bloc leader Umed Khoshnaw.{{Cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/iraq-s-kurdish-regional-parliament-elects-interim-speaker-amid-boycott/4792824.html|title=Iraq's Kurdish Regional Parliament Elects Interim Speaker Amid Boycott|website=VOA|language=en|access-date=2019-03-04}} A draft agreement reached on February 5 requires a PUK representative to hold the post of parliamentary speaker.{{Cite web|url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/02/iraq-kurdistan-puk-pdk.html|title=Iraqi Kurdistan still working out kinks in new parliament|last=Menmy|first=Dana Taib|date=2019-02-22|website=Al-Monitor|language=en|access-date=2019-03-04}}

Fareed's appointment means that two of the three top positions in the KRG parliament are occupied by women, with Muna Kahveci, from the Turkmen Reform Party, also being elected as second deputy speaker. The KRG parliament operates a quota system requiring 30% of MPs to be female.{{Cite web|url=http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/bc80e504-03b1-44e7-ae3c-9d68c3498abd|title=Despite female parliament speaker, experts say political equality still an issue in Kurdistan Region|last=Kurdistan24|website=Kurdistan24|language=en|access-date=2019-03-04}}

In 2019, Fareed was appointed as Regional Minister of State in the KRG Cabinet.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/e668b7b8-b174-45ab-a8d4-c2b80909a705|title=Outspoken Iraqi politician commends KRG on appointment of female ministers|last=|first=|date=|website=www.kurdistan24.net|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-04-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://gov.krd/english/government/the-cabinet/vala-fareed-ibrahim/|title=Vala Fareed Ibrahim|website=Kurdistan Regional Government|language=en|access-date=2020-04-08}}