“We have 1,193 candidates, of whom 350 [are] women, which is very important for us as a UN mission. We also have a mandate from the Security Council to facilitate the participation of women in the political process, including in the elections. So, so far, things are proceeding as they should,” UNAMI Officer-in-Charge Claudio Cordone told Rudaw’s Nwenar Fatih.
The election is scheduled for October 20, two years overdue. The election process has been marred by difficulties, including political tensions between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
Cordone said he was glad the vote is finally taking place and that the UN mission is supporting the electoral commission to make sure the vote is held without problems.
“We have been meeting all the political parties precisely to also convey the message that the international community and the UN look very much forward to these elections,” he said.
Stating that the elections have been delayed for “far too long,” he warned that this “affects the perception of the legitimacy of the institutions in the Kurdistan Region.”
The UN official also said that political parties have told the mission they will “fully” participate in the vote, “regardless of some reservations.”
Cordone met with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Erbil on August 21.
“The two sides discussed the objectives of the UN team during their remaining time in Iraq, as well as the upcoming parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan Region,” according to a statement from the presidency.
UNAMI’s mission will end in December 2025, after more than two decades.
